CINCINNATI – The administration of Cincinnati Public Schools recommended Monday that all its schools go remote for a period of time in order to offset a rapid rise in local COVID-19 cases that has decimated staffing levels.

The proposal, which has not yet been voted on, occurred during a regular scheduled meeting of the Cincinnati Board of Education. 

The original agenda called for the swearing in of three new members and appointments to various committees and positions. But the district added the item – “COVID Protocols” – late in the day, following news that 11 CPS schools nearly had to close due to a surge of COVID-19 cases..

Sixty staff members from the CPS’ central offices were dispatched to school buildings across the district to keep those schools open Monday. Interim Superintendent Tianay Amat said that the situation is not sustainable.

Student attendance Monday was 77%. CPS data showed there were 80 reported positive COVID tests, where the "typical" number is cited as being around 15.

Monday was the first day back in classes for CPS since winter break. On Dec. 19, the Cincinnati Health Department reported 91 new cases. Less than two weeks later, the number of cases had jumped tenfold, topping out at nearly 990. CPS said the Health Department warned them that the number of cases may double every three days.

Cincinnati reported 797 new cases Monday.

In total, well more than 300 CPS employees – that includes teachers and other operations staff, such as administration and medical staff – were out sick Monday. That includes 23 nurses, according to Julie Sellers, president of the Cincinnati Federation of Teachers.

Sellers said she’s “very concerned” about the situation and has not done more to proactively address the situation, adding that CPS went from 30 staff cases to over 300 cases in a matter of days.

“Staffing shortages will cause unsafe environments for our students. A board member actually said, ‘get creative and contact the Health Department.’ Our nurses are from the Health Department and they don’t have extra nurses sitting around waiting to be called,” Sellers said.

Amat emphasized that to CPS, the situation is a staffing issue, not a safety situation.

The CPS administration recommended a move to remote learning from Jan. 6 through Martin Luther King Jr. Day. Students would tentatively return to in-person classes Jan. 18, assuming absences and COVID-19 had shown improvement. They plan allows for the continuation of after-school activities, like sports and art performances, but at limited capacity levels.

Amat said the plan was ideal because it offered some advance notice and overlapped with two planned off-days – a previously scheduled professional development day for teachers (Monday, Jan. 10) and MLK Day (Monday, Jan. 17).

Most of the board members offered pushback. Some felt the plan didn't give the thousands of affected families enough time to prepare. Others felt the plan would be disruptive to the learning process.

CPS previously went remote during the 2020 school year during the peak of the pandemic.

“I don't understand why urban children and urban families have to be shut down when the suburban people are going to school and the parochial people are going to school," said Board Member Eve Bolton.

Board Member Mike Moroski, on the other hand, was outspoken in his desire to go remote district-wide and to do so quickly. He said doing so would be the least disruptive to families.

Moroski said going school to school would actually hinder more families by giving them less time to prepare. He said he would be particularly difficult for families with children in multiple CPS schools. He also disagreed with a counter proposal to poll parents and caregivers about their preferred approach. He said it wasn't fair to put this "difficult" decision on the back of parents alone.

Newly elected Board President Ben Lindy said both proposals have drawbacks and offer disruptions. The decision was made to hold the vote to allow for further discussion.

A vote is planned for next Monday’s board meeting. Given the delay, CPS’ proposed plan will not take place as planned. It’s unclear what the modified timeline would be.

CPS requires masks in all its buildings and indoor facilities. Staff members get vaccinated unless granted an exemption.

Moroski said he plans to propose making a COVID booster part of the district's vaccine policy. He also said he thinks CPS should provide preschoolers who are not eligible for the vaccine with “high quality masks.”