February 12, 2021
West Muskingum Families,
One thing is certain in education, there will always be changes. One of those changes will be current elementary principal Ryan McLane will be taking a new role as assistant superintendent beginning the 2021-2022 school year.
Never fear, Mr. McLane’s famous videos will continue as part of his role to provide information district-wide. The restructuring of administration was brought on for many reasons, including an increase in district enrollment and the attrition of two administrators over the last three years.
Mr. McLane’s main focus as assistant superintendent will be to lead our special education department as well as oversee our classified employees.
Even though Mr. McLane won’t be the day to day leader as principal, he will still be part of the elementary in addition to sharing his talents with the entire district. We are currently in the process of hiring a new leader for WMES and look forward to talking to candidates about continuing the great tradition of education at West Muskingum.
We are very excited that Mr. McLane will be taking on this expanded role in order to serve all the students and employees at West Muskingum.
Chad Shawger
Superintendent
January 12, 2021
As you know, the coronavirus pandemic triggered an unprecedented shift in how West Muskingum Local Schools delivers education to its students. Student access to internet connectivity and technology stand as two significant barriers to successful remote education and a student’s opportunity to learn.
For these reasons, the West Muskingum Local Schools is collecting districtwide data that shines a light on a student’s opportunity to learn, which includes access to internet connectivity and technology.
Please complete the survey below. If you have more than one school-age child please complete a separate survey for each child.
CLICK HERE to take the Student Access to Internet and Technology Survey
Thank you,
Ted Harrison
Director of Technology
January 8, 2021
West Muskingum Families,
If your child is currently online and you are satisfied with that placement, there is nothing you need to do. If you are considering having your child return to in-person learning, your start date options will be Tuesday, Jan. 19 and Monday, March 22. Please CLICK HERE for more information.
Chad Shawger
Superintendent
December 14, 2020
West Muskingum Families,
I don’t have to tell anyone that this has been a year unlike any other. I want to take a moment to thank our teachers, administrators and support staff for all their willingness to pitch in and do whatever is necessary to keep our students learning. I would also like to thank our students and families for being flexible and working alongside us to provide the best educational experience possible.
A couple of things I wanted to draw your attention to:
1. Monday, December 21st is a remote learning day. Students will not report to school but will be given assignments via Google Classroom with directions from their teachers. Teachers will be available during regular work hours to answer questions.
2. New quarantine standards adopted by the ZMCHD-
A) If your student tests positive for COVID-19 the typical isolation is 10 days.
B) If your student is identified as a close contact to someone who has tested positive for COVID-19 the
new quarantine period is 10 days from the date of the last exposure.
C) If your student is a close contact and gets a COVID-19 test after day 4 and it is negative then the
quarantine can end after day 7.
Again, if you have questions about the quarantine process, please contact
the Health Department at 740-454-9741.
We will do everything we can do to keep our schools open. I know some other schools have gone remote and some have asked if and when West will do that. Here is what I can tell you, as of today, are the reasons we would go remote:
1. We can’t staff our buildings or transportation.
2. We have spread from within the school, which to our knowledge, we haven’t seen yet.
3. The governor makes all schools go remotely.
As always, if you have any questions please contact your student’s building or the administration center.
Chad Shawger
Superintendent
December 9, 2020
West Muskingum Families,
To read the Zanesville-Muskingum County Health Department's letter regarding confirmed cases of
COVID-19 at West Muskingum Middle School and West Muskingum Elementary School click here.
Superintendent Chad Shawger
December 7, 2020
West Muskingum Families,
To read the Zanesville-Muskingum County Health Department's letter regarding confirmed cases of
COVID-19 at West Muskingum High School and West Muskingum Elementary School click here.
Superintendent Chad Shawger
November 20, 2020
West Muskingum Families,
To read the Zanesville-Muskingum County Health Department's letter regarding a confirmed case of
COVID-19 at West Muskingum High School, click here.
Superintendent Chad Shawger
November 19, 2020
West Muskingum Families,
To read the Zanesville-Muskingum County Health Department's letter regarding one confirmed case of COVID-19 at each of our three buildings, click here.
Superintendent Chad Shawger
November 13, 2020
West Muskingum Families,
To read the Zanesville-Muskingum County Health Department's letter regarding a confirmed case of
COVID-19 at West Muskingum Elementary School, click here.
Superintendent Chad Shawger
November 3, 2020
West Muskingum Families,
To read the Zanesville-Muskingum County Health Department's letter regarding a confirmed case of
COVID-19 at West Muskingum High School, click here.
Superintendent Chad Shawger
October 30, 2020
West Muskingum Families,
To read the Zanesville-Muskingum County Health Department's letter regarding a confirmed case of
COVID-19 at West Muskingum Elementary School, click here.
Superintendent Chad Shawger
October 16, 2020
West Muskingum Families,
To read the Zanesville-Muskingum County Health Department's letter regarding a confirmed case of
COVID-19 at West Muskingum Middle School, click here.
Superintendent Chad Shawger
September 24, 2020
Please click here to complete the Free and Reduced Lunch application
September 17, 2020
REMOTE LEARNING STUDENTS: MEAL REGISTRATION
West Muskingum Families,
Effective Sept. 1, 2020, the USDA extended the free lunch program for all students through Dec. 31, 2020. Any student who purchased a breakfast or lunch prior to Sept. 3, 2020 will receive a credit to their account.
All West Muskingum students are eligible for free breakfast and lunch until Dec. 31, 2020, unless Ohio Department Education funds run out prior to this date. We will notify everyone if this is the case.
REMOTE LEARNERS are also eligible for free breakfast and lunch. We will follow the same participation protocol as we did this summer. Click the link above to register for free meals. Five days worth of breakfast and lunch will be provided on Mondays from noon to 1 p.m. in a drive-thru format outside the high school library doors.
We hope that all students will take advantage of this great opportunity. It’s a win for families and for West.
Superintendent Chad Shawger