April 9, 2020

Dear Reynoldsburg City Schools Families and Staff,

As we head into the long weekend, I wanted to check in and provide some updates about what we’ve been doing in the District during the COVID-19 pandemic. Governor Mike DeWine has shared much information and does so in his daily press briefings. As you know, schools throughout Ohio remain closed and social distancing practices are still in effect as a result of his order. We ask you to continue social distancing for yourselves and your children especially in public spaces. Playgrounds, parks, and other venues of that type are places that we still have to be vigilant about following the Governor’s guidance.

Tomorrow is a “non-school day” as the District will be closed tomorrow, Monday, April 13 is also a “non-student day” for Spring Intercession, however, teachers and staff have a professional development day. Food distribution at RHS’ Livingston Campus will go on as planned from 10a-1p and the Support Line will be open from 8:30a-3:30p.

The Support Line and Google form have been great assets for us to support the community. Your questions and feedback tell us where we are doing well and where we can still provide greater resources. We sincerely thank you for your input.

Schools have begun distributing additional distance learning opportunities, packets and Chromebooks. We are still working on trying to help those who do not have internet access find a way to get online.

As stated earlier, please continue to practice safe social distancing. With the holiday weekend ahead of us, it might be disappointing that many traditional events cannot look as they normally do, but Dr. Amy Acton and Governor DeWine are adamant that social distancing is helping reduce the surge of coronavirus in Ohio. We are all doing our part to fight this pandemic. Stay health, stay positive and give yourself the chance to recharge, mentally and physically.

Sincerely,

Melvin J. Brown
Superintendent
Reynoldsburg City Schools

Click here to read a PDF of the letter. 

April 3, 2020

Dear Reynoldsburg City Schools Families and Staff,

As we have worked to respond to the COVID-19, or coronavirus, crisis as a school district, we have attempted to keep you updated on operational activities and our efforts to continue teaching and learning. Today, I wanted to share a message of perspective. These are, indeed, challenging and historic times and all of us have been charged with doing things with which we are not fully comfortable or familiar. I know that we are doing our absolute best to navigate these changes and I know that you are doing the same. It will not be perfect. It will not be flawless. But that is not because we all are not trying to do our best.

This is definitely difficult. There are so many things that I miss these days. I miss the sound of buses bringing our kids to school each morning. I miss walking through school buildings and seeing our fabulous teachers in action. I miss the smell of waxed floors that our custodians work so hard to keep pristine. I miss cheering on our kids on the athletic fields and band and robotics competitions. It is these things that we cannot take for granted ever again.

This unique time has asked teachers and staff to shift their daily activities and to move the classroom environment into a virtual arena. It has asked kids to become more self-driven and to take on more of the responsibility for their own learning. It has asked parents to become astute in monitoring online learning and to supplement instruction from a virtual world. This is incredibly hard work and I recognize and respect that. It will challenge and frustrate us. All we can do, however, is to do our best and perfection is not necessary.

The things the Governor is asking us to do—staying at home, practicing safe social distancing, refraining from working when we are not feeling well, are simple requests, but on days like this, when the sun is shining and the weather is warm, makes it feel like a more difficult task. According to Dr. Amy Acton, this is how we will flatten the curve; by practicing respect and grace amongst our fellow humans and allowing first responders and medical personnel to do their jobs as effectively and quickly as possible. Remember that you can visit www.cdc.gov for updates and information on the coronavirus. Our staff and I tune in to the Governor’s press conferences for updates that we communicate to all of you as quickly as possible. We want to do our best to do right by the Reynoldsburg community, our staff and students.

I thank everyone for your patience, dedication, your commitment to kids, and your flexibility and cooperation as we navigate this very unfamiliar time. We will get through this. The most important aspect of this entire ordeal is that we and our families are safe and healthy and that we continue to advocate for each other. I am praying for all of us and I know that we will grow and learn from this challenging time.

Sincerely,

Melvin J. Brown
Superintendent
Reynoldsburg City Schools

Click here to read a PDF of the letter 

April 1, 2020

Dear Reynoldsburg City Schools Parents, Staff and Families,

As you are already aware, Ohio Governor Mike DeWine announced that all schools will remain closed for until at least May 1, 2020 in response to the continued spread of the coronavirus, or COVID-19. I want to take a moment to update the Class of 2020 on what we are working on for them while schools are closed.

Before I do that, let me remind you that today, April 1, is Census Day. However busy you are, please make sure you complete your Census online. Given our stay-at-home order from Ohio Governor Mike DeWine, this will be the best way to do it this year. The census count is particularly important for the schools. It determines the amount of federal funding distributed to states for programs that impact schools, students and families. So make sure you play your part to help us fund our schools over the next ten years!

While the closure impacts our seniors who are not able experience a traditional senior year at Reynoldsburg High School, we are still working to ensure that some of their traditions and milestone moments happen. We are tentatively looking at potential dates in June to reschedule our Prom. While we are hopeful we will still be able to host our graduation ceremony at the end of May, we are also looking at alternate dates for that ceremony in June or July.  Seniors can order Class of 2020 banners on the Graduation page of reyn.org: https://www.reyn.org/GraduationInformation.aspx.

Our high school Academy Leaders Dr. Tonya Bailey, Mr. Scott Bennett, Mrs. Garla Brown and Dr. Milton Folson will continue to work to find ways to provide them with some semblance of a senior year. Seniors who wish to be showcased on social media can fill out the form they will receive from their academies. Please be sure to share all the good things that are happening during this uncertain time!

We know this is not ideal and we wish we had answers for everything. Right now, all we can do is continue to abide by the Governor’s orders and prepare to be flexible as needed. It is important that we all are responsible and that we make our contribution to slow down the spread of coronavirus including practicing social distancing and abiding by social gathering guidelines during this pandemic. Although we know we will not be able to recreate the senior experience in the traditional manner, we will work with our seniors and staff to create innovative experiences to ensure that our seniors still celebrate this time in their lives.   

In the coming days and weeks, we will also be working with the team of administrators and school counselors at Reynoldsburg High School to review each of our seniors’ transcripts and apply the flexibility outlined by the Ohio Department of Education to ensure that there is a clear plan towards graduation for every student in the class of 2020. Please be assured that all seniors who were on target for graduating in 2020 will still graduate and we will continue to help each of our seniors realize their goals after high school.

In addition to our graduating seniors, our continuity of learning plan will also make sure that all students have a way to successfully finish their courses for the year and transition to the next grade. This is an unprecedented time for all of us; however, we will continue to work towards meeting the social, emotional and academic needs of our students in RCS.

It takes an entire community to ensure that our young people are successful. RCS will advocate, educate and graduate our students through vision, integrity and passion. Thank you for your partnership.  Please stay healthy and well!

Sincerely,

Melvin J. Brown
Superintendent
Reynoldsburg City Schools

Click here to read a PDF of the letter. 

March 30, 2020

Dear Reynoldsburg City Schools Families and Staff,

Today, Ohio Governor Mike DeWine signed an order announced that all K-12 schools will be closed through at least Friday, May 1, 2020 in response to the continued spread of the coronavirus disease 2019, or COVID-19. The Governor will reevaluate the timing of school closures as May 1 approaches.

Fortunately, our team has been preparing for this eventuality. Our staff is confident we can provide a continuity of learning for all students in RCS. We shared earlier that, instructionally, we have already planned lessons through April 9. Now that this announcement is official, we need a few days to solidify those longer-term plans to make sure that our expectations are aligned with the Ohio Department of Education’s guidance and every student within our school division gets what they need.  

We are adjusting to the preliminary guidance from the Ohio Department of Education (ODE) in reference to graduation requirements, high school credits, standardized testing, and how to move forward with continuity of learning that meet Special Education requirements. Now that we will have a longer time out of school, we will begin to share our refined plan for the extended school closure with our families and staff.

We will continue working collaboratively with the ODE on these guidelines. As we have information, we will share it with our students, families and staff. Throughout this process, we plan to share regular updates on reyn.org, social media and through our One Call system. We are also in the process of creating a survey to allow us to gather feedback from students and parents so we can provide the most accurate information possible. Our Support Line for families in need is open from Monday-Friday from 8:30 a.m. until 3:30 p.m.

We will get through this together. Thank you for your understanding and patience as we work through this unprecedented moment in our lifetimes.

Sincerely,

Melvin J. Brown
Superintendent
Reynoldsburg City Schools

Click here to read a PDF of the letter 

March 22, 2020

Dear Reynoldsburg City Schools Families and Staff,

As we continue to confront the impact of COVID-19 on our community and world, we are following the recent order by the Governor to stay at home. The Governor and the staff at Reynoldsburg City Schools urge you to practice social distancing when you do have to leave your home beginning Monday, March 23, at 11:59 p.m. until Monday, April 6.

This can be a challenge with large families or with children. First, it is important to understand what social distancing is and why it is helpful for us to stay healthy during this pandemic. Social distancing is simply putting space between people so germs do not spread. The Governor’s office recommends a distance of six feet.

While we understand there will be reasons you must leave your house, it is important that you, your family and children practice social distancing to stay healthy. There are several ways to do this:

• We can still be social as long as we remain a safe distance apart.
• Large gatherings, family parties or sleepovers are not recommended.
• Playgrounds, indoor parks and gyms are closed. We can still get fresh air and exercise by walking around the block, walking your pet or visiting an outdoor park that doesn’t have a playground.
• The Governor urges us to use common sense- there are going to be times when we must leave the house. With social distancing in place, we can do so, safely.

As a reminder, we have updated our “Grab and go” schedule for breakfast and lunch items. On Monday, March 23 and Monday, March 30, “Grab and go” items will be available at RHS’ Livingston Campus from 10:00 a.m.- 1:00 p.m. There will be enough breakfast and lunch items to supply each child with food for seven days. Please be sure to practice social distancing if you wait in line.

Beginning tomorrow, March 23 at 3:30 p.m., the RCS Support Line will also close.

It is OK to feel anxious or unsure during this time. Please give yourself and those around you some grace, respect and leeway as we work together- we will get through this. Please be well and we thank you for your understanding and cooperation.

Sincerely,

Melvin J. Brown
Superintendent
Reynoldsburg City Schools

Mr. Melvin J. Brown is the Superintendent of the Reynoldsburg City School District. In this capacity he serves as the Chief Executive and Administrative Officer of the District. The Superintendent reports directly to the Board of Education and has all executive and administrative powers and duties in connection with the overall operation of the schools which are not required by statute to be exercised directly by the Board or by some other officer. The Superintendent exercises leadership through school administrators who comprise the Leadership Team.