CINCINNATI —

Cincinnati Public Schools will officially move to remote learning Wednesday.

Two years ago, thousands of students didn't have the ability to connect to the internet at home.

There were a lot of issues when CPS originally went remote including lack of internet access for lower-income families.

The district worked with Cincinnati Bell to improve infrastructure and has added more tools so everyone can connect for the seven upcoming days of virtual learning.

CPS staff said the district is more prepared to go remote in 2022.

The 'Connect our Students' partnership program with Cincinnati Bell provides free internet to around 6,200 students who wouldn't have it otherwise.

"The brings us very near to 100% internet access for our student base. They will continuing the program. We offer full-time year-round, including this time. So any student who needs internet access can call and get that free service for them at any time," said a district IT staffer.

Some parents are still skeptical about the move.

Those without internet woes said the technology hasn't been reliable.

"My concern is his laptop. I had issues with his laptop when he was on remote," said Claudia Howell.

Howell's son is a freshman at Taft High School.

She said virtual was touch-and-go in 2020.

"The internet was fine but it was just the connection. Sometimes it was frozen. And sometimes it wasn't him, it was the school end," Howell said.

The district said it has layers of service offering for students to make remote work for a time.

The 1:1 tablets are one tool as well as a fallback to the Cincinnati Bell program.

"So if for any reason they are unable to get the connect our students service. Like for instance their address doesn't have the infrastructure or cable capability, then we also have hot spots that we can issue to those students on demand to cover any needs additional," the staffer said.

The district is moving online due to a severe staff shortage related to COVID-19.

Howell hopes this time at home helps everyone recover and return to a safe learning environment together.

"I hope the teachers get better so they can go back in school," Howell said.

Howell said her son did come home with a new laptop so she's hopeful it works and supports the move to remote while COVID-19 case numbers are so high.

Board members said they hope this time allows staff to recover from illness and for additional cleaning of buildings.

The students are set to return to the classroom Jan. 24.

Pandemic-related learning loss will cost our children $17 trillion in lifetime income, according to a U.N.-backed report released in December 2021.

"A mounting body of evidence confirms that learning losses as a result of COVID-19 school closures are real," the report said.

In the U.S., the most significant impact is on young children.

The report found 30% of Texas third-graders tested at or above grade level for math in 2021, compared to 48% in 2019. Similar learning losses were reported in more than a half-dozen other states.

"We're concerned if we don't catch up," said Dr. Pamela Davis-Kean, a research professor at the University of Michigan's Institute for Social Research. "If we don't overcome some of this, there are groups of people who probably will not be in the economic situation that they might have been in two years ago."

Davis-Kean said the abrupt shift to remote learning in spring 2020 had a negative impact on students and parents.

"Education, since the Industrial Revolution, has been in the institution of schooling. We moved it back to the home," Davis-Kean said. "The parents were the ones who had to make sure to connect the kids. They had to have the resources in the home to connect the kids."

Parents and legislators alike are eager to close the learning gap.

The American Rescue Plan, which Congress passed in early 2021, included $122 billion in funding for schools.

At least 20% of the money had to be spent "to address learning loss through the implementation of evidence-based interventions, such as summer learning or summer enrichment, extended day, comprehensive afterschool programs, or extended school year programs," according to a U.S. Dept. of Education fact sheet.

"Education is something we can always do something about," Davis-Kean said. "We can always teach, and kids will always learn. We just have to make sure that we have the opportunities to do that."

Most districts are already investing in programs to help children overcome learning loss.

A Bloomberg analysis in November 2021 found more than half of school districts that received stimulus money had set some aside for summer learning. About a third set aside money for tutoring.

However, that means many districts did not set aside extra funding for programs designed to fight learning loss.

Over the long term, the decision could put children at a disadvantage.

"People can argue about it, but education is generally the thing that opens up the door to higher-earning occupations," Davis-Kean said. "Once you change that in one generation, it opens up a door for the next generation."

CINCINNATI —

The University of Cincinnati will be transitioning to online learning for the first two weeks of its spring semester due to the high transmissibility of the omicron variant in Greater Cincinnati.

University officials announced Tuesday that UC will move to remote operations beginning on Wednesday and will continue online operations until Jan. 24, when they will pivot back to full in-person activities. Students will engage in online learning when their classes begin on Jan. 10.

"I'm not surprised, but it's not the best thing in the world. I'm used to it at this point because my freshman year was completely online," said UC student Mikaela Armstrong.

UC leaders said the decision was made in order to "minimize the disruption" the omicron variant could cause, including quarantining and classroom absences. Therefore, classes and academic support services will be held online for the first two weeks of the semester.

"The goal of this in-person delay is for us to assess the impact of omicron on our populations; let the spike in transmissions run its course; implement additional measures for screening testing and vaccination; and assess the feasibility of providing faculty, staff, and students the opportunity to receive booster shots," UC officials wrote in a release Tuesday.

UC leaders said they wanted to ensure that students and staff come back to a healthy and safe environment.

"I am concerned about how much it's (COVID) spreading more. Especially in our community, we didn't see it that much especially on campus as students last year, but kinda looking forward to do that little bit of online to make sure it passes a little before we jump right back in," said UC student Aidan Guessford.

Certain in-person activities that are allowed for learning purposes during this time include clinical, lab, studio and performance activities just as students and staff practice social distancing and proper health measures.

UC said students can return to campus residence halls as scheduled but those volunteering to return must participate in required COVID-19 testing, regardless of vaccination status. Officials said they're updating guidance on COVID-19 testing requirements on its public health website in the coming days.

The university is asking that other in-person campus activities such as welcome back events either be canceled, minimized or moved to a remote format.

Schools officials are strongly encouraging students, staff and faculty members to get their COVID-19 booster shot as soon as possible.

This move comes the same day that Northern Kentucky University announced it is delaying the start of its spring semester due to the recent surge in COVID-19 cases.

Due to the surge, NKU will delay classes for one week. All classes will start on Tuesday, Jan. 18.

Ohio reported more than 37,000 new COVID-19 cases over the weekend. There were 37,626 cases reported from New Year's Eve and New Year's Day.

Screen time has become a common concern during the pandemic, as many school districts turn to online learning. That has doctors telling parents to pay close attention to their children's eyes.

"Everybody, adults and kids, can develop computer eye strain. That's mostly because there's a decrease in the blink rate, incomplete eye closure with the blink rate," said Dr. Cate Jordan, a pediatric ophthalmologist with the American Association for Pediatric Ophthalmology and Strabismus.

Dr. Jordan says eye drops or a warm compress can help children with eye irritation because of increased technology use. But most of all, make sure your eyes get some relief from a screen.

"In between classes, take a break. Look out a distance and take a couple hard blinks. I really recommend really taking a few hard blinks because it pumps the oil glands and really helps lubricate the eyes," said Dr. Jordan.

Stephen Reid is the co-founder of Hue Eyewear. Reid and his wife founded their blue light glasses company when they noticed their children suffered side effects from too much screen time.

"With the amount of time we're spending on our screens right now, especially during the pandemic, we need to make sure that we protect ourselves," said Reid.

Reid says the glasses protect children and adults from blue light that's emitted from computer, tablet, phone and even television screens.

"My children use the glasses. Ever since we started the company they've been using them and they tell me their eyes are less strained and I can feel it, too," said Reid.

Dr. Jordan says more studies need to be done on the effectiveness of blue light glasses. Our eyes naturally protect against harmful rays that could affect our eyesight, she adds.

"If you've already bought them and a child feels better and wants to use them, then absolutely there's no harm in wearing them. But there's no need to have every child wearing blue light glasses," said Dr. Jordan.

Dr. Jordan says too much blue light at the end of the day can disrupt your circadian rhythm, or sleep cycle, so she recommends children make an effort to avoid screens at least two hours before bed time.

CINCINNATI — As Cincinnati Public Schools district officials planned to meet Saturday to review their COVID-19 safety plan, one couple urged board of education members to prioritize making in-person instruction, or a blend of in-person and remote learning, an option again.

Scott and Katrina Hardy said they and their three children -- all CPS students -- have rolled with the punches the last 10 months after the district went fully remote in light of the coronavirus pandemic reaching the Tri-State. With the exception of a short period before the Thanksgiving holiday break, CPS students have not seen their classrooms since March.

"CPS administrators and board members are the ones who have kept our schools closed while other school districts have returned," the Hardys wrote. "Now is the time for you to offer the children and parents of CPS the option to return to 'in person' learning."

Scott Hardy told WCPO Friday that he thinks it's time the district adjust its plan based on the latest data and recommendations by health officials.

"We just thought that, as the guidelines change, it's time for Cincinnati public to step up and adjust their policies and adjust their criteria for getting kids back into school," he said. "When I see friends at work and they say, 'Oh, how are your kids doing in school?' they are shocked when I tell them they're not in school."

In their letter, the Hardys pointed to state officials' decision to suspend the requirement that any K-12 student exposed to COVID-19 quarantine at home for two weeks and attend school virtually and to other nearby districts that have since returned to blended instruction models.

"It just would be so much easier for the kids, and I know for the teachers, to be in school, where they can pull out groups and have different groups working on different things," Katrina Hardy said.

They are also hopeful the rollout of vaccines will convince district leaders at least to offer the option to send kids back to the classroom.

"Above anything else, we believe in choices for people," Scott Hardy said.

WCPO reached out to CPS Friday but did not immediately hear back. The CPS Board of Education will meet with Superintendent Laura Mitchell at 8:30 a.m. Saturday.

Per Gov. Mike DeWine, an Ohio school can be eligible to receive vaccinations for its staff only if they indicate by Monday, Jan. 18, a plan to return to in-person learning by March 1. The Ohio Department of Health said schools can submit such plans later than Monday, but those schools will sit further down the list for vaccination delivery.

Read the Hardys' full letter to CPS officials in the viewer below:

Open Letter to Cincinnati Public Schools re: in-person learning by WCPO Web Team on Scribd

This group of students at Farwell Elementary School in Lewiston, Maine, have been working on publishing their own books. The books are an adaptation of their mentor, Gary Savage's novels, altered to include their experiences of life during the pandemic. The Author Studies program has been around for years. However, during the pandemic students had to get creative and find virtual ways to work together. Some students were worried the program would not be able to continue this year. Many students were relieved and excited the program was still taking place.Hear about their story in the video above.