THE TOP STORIES OF 2021: Students return to in-person classes | News, Sports, Jobs

T-L File Photo/CARRI GRAHAM
Gov. Mike DeWine speaks about the “surge” of COVID-19 cases in Ohio during a press conference at the Wheeling-Ohio County Airport. Also pictured, from left, are first lady Fran DeWine; Dr. Bruce Vanderhoff, health director of the Ohio Department of Health; and Dr. Rick Grecco, president of the Medical Group Enterprise at Trinity Health System.

EDITOR’S NOTE: The Times Leader presents a look back at the past year today through Friday with Eastern Ohio’s Top 10 stories of 2021, as selected by the newspaper’s editorial staff.

MARTINS FERRY — Early efforts to combat the COVID-19 pandemic sent most students — from preschool through college — home to continue their studies in an environment where exposure to the virus was less likely.

Then, after months of on-again, off-again in-person attendance, some schools began bringing students back to the classroom as early as January of this year. New guidelines from Gov. Mike DeWine and the Ohio Department of Health office reduced recommended social distancing from 6 feet to 3 feet in classroom settings with masks still used. So, several area school districts welcomed students back five days a week.

Vaccines for school staff members became available in February with hopes that normal schooling might resume March 1. St. Clairsville-Richland City Schools Superintendent Walt Skaggs said his district would resume full-time in-person education in January. Bridgeport Exempted Village School District followed suit. And plans were similar in Barnesville.

Union Local School District held off on students’ return, opting to make decisions on a week-by-week basis.

Martins Ferry City Schools District stuck with a hybrid model until Jan. 25, when students returned to a regular in-person schedule four days per week.

Shadyside Local School District began remote education in early January, followed by a week with the hybrid model and then a return in-person classes. Bellaire Local Schools operated under a hybrid model until resuming full-time, face-to-face instruction Jan. 19.

All local district planned to return to a normal class schedule in the fall, but that didn’t happen without complications.

As early as August, the effects of COVID-19 were felt in the Barnesville football program and led to Buckeye Local to cancel its Week 2 game against Union Local.

Game cancellations continued throughout the season. The Bridgeport Bulldogs’ annual homecoming football game against Conotton Valley was canceled, along with the homecoming dance.

In an effort to keep classes in session, some districts opted to implement mask mandates. UL took that step in early September as the delta variant impacted the region. The school board approved a measure stating that all students, staff and visitors would be required to wear masks on school grounds. This did not extend to sporting events and activities, although masks were recommended by the board under all circumstances.

Close to 50 parents, teachers, staff, nurses and administrators attended the meeting to voice their opinions, some in favor of a mask mandate and others opposed. There were several emotional speeches. Several guests got up and left shortly after the board’s vote.

The Bridgeport Exempted Village School District made a similar move, putting a mask mandate in place. From mid-September until Oct. 20. No masks were required during extracurricular activities, high school volleyball matches, a junior high football game and others were canceled.

Also in September, Gov. Mike DeWine visited the region, urging schools to implement mask mandates amid a “surge” of COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations across Ohio.

DeWine held a press conference at the Wheeling-Ohio County Airport to discuss the rise in cases and its impact on the health care system. He said there were 3,080 people with COVID-19 in Ohio’s hospitals — 982 in intensive care units and 617 on ventilators.

“One out of every six people in our hospitals has COVID, and one out of every four in the state is in the ICU. These are stunning numbers, and there’s no part of the state that is really immune from what is going on,” he said.

In October, Harrison Hills City School District decided to continue its mask mandate for at least the next month. Officials said it had helped to decrease the number of quarantine cases in the schools.

At the end of that month, the Union Local school board lifted its mask mandate, instead adopting quarantine guidelines from the Ohio Health Department. This followed several heated meetings where parents vocally opposed the district’s mandate.