More than a year after all K–12 schools in Ohio temporarily closed in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, and months after most neighboring districts returned to in-person instruction, Yellow Springs public school students will go back into the classroom full time beginning Monday, April 5.

Presented with questions about their level of support for four proposed scenarios to address identified structural needs in the district’s schools, a majority of the participants at a community forum last week responded that they “strongly support” construction of a new K–12 facility at the current site of the middle/high school on East Enon Road.

Preserving greenspace on the Mills Lawn Elementary School property and developing a desirable facilities plan for the local schools are not mutually exclusive goals, say a group of residents calling for a portion of the Mills Lawn grounds to be set aside as a permanent community park.

During a special work session of the Yellow Springs school board, conducted online Saturday morning, March 6, the district superintendent said she is working on a plan to increase students’ in-person classroom time to near pre-pandemic levels.

During a work session of the Yellow Springs school board, conducted online Saturday morning, March 6, the district superintendent reported on the likely possibility of moving to a nearly full-time in-person instruction plan for all students in early April.

Members of the quasi-governmental economic development group spent the majority of their last regular meeting, Tuesday, Feb. 2, discussing the organization’s purposes and goals as well as expectations for the content of group discussions.

Questions about costs, the future of the Mills Lawn school property and recommendations by the Ohio Facilities Construction Commission dominated public comments last week during the first of three planned community forums to discuss the future of Yellow Springs’ public school buildings.

The effort to develop a master plan for addressing identified building needs in Yellow Springs schools is moving along quickly, with four project scenarios emerging as the district’s leading options.

Local data shows that an increased number of young people are struggling, and mental health care providers report that the severity of struggle is more pronounced amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

Whether sharing their own thoughts, presenting the words of another or arguing both sides of an issue, members of the Yellow Springs Speech & Debate team say they are finding power in their personal voices.