An important update about Beacon School

Dear families of Beacon School,

The health and safety of the individuals we serve is our highest priority. This has continued to drive our actions throughout our response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

With the rise in positive cases and the expectation of a continuation of this trend over the holidays, we have decided to pause in-person instruction at Beacon School through the holiday season.

This means Beacon School will revert to online/remote instruction only from the end of the day on Tuesday, Nov. 24, to Monday, Jan. 4, 2021.  We will continue the delivery of breakfast and lunch during this time (on every day school was scheduled to be in session).

A few details we considered when making this decision:

  • Every county in Ohio has a high instance of COVID-19.
  • The Governor has imposed a temporary curfew from 10 p.m. through 5 a.m. to help control the spread of the virus.
  • The Governor has considered closing down some establishments to help control the spread.
  • Athens County’s positive cases continues to rise.
  • Many of the students we serve struggle to wear face masks and remain socially distant.
  • Many of the students we serve have compromised immune systems.

We also know several of the students we serve struggle with remote learning.  However, given the many factors, we strongly feel remote learning is the safety course of action at this time.  We remain committed to the health and safety of the students who attend Beacon School and our staff.

At the start of this pandemic, we knew we would be facing unprecedented challenges. We knew we would have to be flexible and nimble in the event we needed to change course.  This is one more instance, and we appreciate everyone’s understanding during these difficult times.

We are hopeful the New Year will bring us a much safer environment in which to operate.  Please let me know if you have any questions or concerns.

Go Rays!

Respectfully,

Kevin Davis, Ed.D.
ACBDD Superintendent