HANCOCK COUNTY — All four county school districts called off classes starting today (March 13) as concern grew about the novel coronavirus and the governor took significant steps to curb potential exposure for Hoosiers.
Southern Hancock officials have closed down all schools until at least Monday, April 6. That includes a full week of classes next week that was leading into spring break. Southern Hancock officials decided to be cautious after information surfaced that students might be infected, community relations director Wes Anderson said.
Greenfield-Central called off school today, the last day before spring break. Superintendent Harold Olin asked families who are traveling for the break to inform the school system of their destinations. Depending on where they go — such as taking a cruise or going out of the country — they might be asked to stay away from school after their return, Olin wrote in a letter to families.
Later Thursday, Eastern Hancock, Mt. Vernon and St. Michael School also canceled classes for today. Mt. Vernon is heading into its two-week spring break and also plans to hold e-learning days for the two weeks after spring break, through April 10.
The districts’ decisions came on the same afternoon that Gov. Eric Holcomb said schools statewide will be offered a 20-day waiver of the state’s 180-day requirement. The governor also banned gatherings of more than 250 people. The governor did not say when the restrictions would end.
“This is a time when we must do all we can to reduce the spread of COVID-19, protect our most vulnerable populations and reduce their potential to acquire or spread this virus,” Holcomb said in a news release. “While some actions are drastic, now, not later, is the time to act.”
Southern Hancock schools decided to shutter all buildings a week early before spring break and told families that today (March 13) and next week will be e-learning days. Officials acted out of abundance of caution because they couldn’t confirm if the students had actually been exposed to the virus. The district was told COVID-19 tests were not administered to the students due to a lack of available tests for the virus, the district said in a news release.
“Because of the uncertainty of this situation and the inability to determine if a case of COVID-19 has been confirmed, the district believes it is in the best interest of the safety of our families and students to close our schools immediately,” the news release said.
The district is officially on spring break from Monday, March 23, until Monday, April 6.
“This is not a decision the district takes lightly,” the news release said. “At this time, closing schools to practice social distancing is the safest decision for our students and community.”
All district extra-curricular activities and practices have also been canceled until school resumes. Competitions scheduled for this weekend will go on as scheduled unless they are canceled. This includes the boys’ basketball regional game at Southport and the gymnastics state finals at Ball State on Saturday.
“Our athletes will participate in these events if the IHSAA allows them to occur as scheduled,” Anderson said.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends social distancing to prevent the spread of the virus.
District officials did not release any details about the students involved or the schools they attend. All Southern Hancock families are instructed to monitor their students closely for symptoms of COVID-19. The symptoms include fever, sore throat, cough, or shortness of breath. Anyone who believes a student may be showing symptoms of COVID-19 is advised to call their family doctor immediately.
All six Southern Hancock schools will be open from 8 a.m. until 10 a.m. today (March 13), for families to retrieve any items they may have been left at school, including medications. After 10 a.m., all buildings will be closed to all students, staff, and the community until further notice with the exception of designated critical district personnel.
The district will then begin a deep cleaning and disinfecting of all school buildings, Anderson said.
Greenfield-Central made its decision after news early Thursday, March 12, that a jailer at the Hancock County Jail had tested positive for the virus. Olin said officials were being cautious.
“Student and staff health and safety is a priority for our district,” he wrote in the letter to parents.
Late Thursday, Mt. Vernon posted this message on its website:
“After Governor Holcomb’s statement on 3/12/20, we are implementing the following actions:
“School will be canceled on Friday, March 13 and we will not have eLearning. All staff should report at their normal time.
“Students and families may enter the schools from 10 a.m. through the end of the school day on Friday, March 13 to pick up medicine or any necessary materials for eLearning.
“MVCSC will be closed for the two weeks following Spring Break and will begin eLearning on Monday, March 30 through Friday, April 10.
“The Mini-Marauder Preschool and the YMCA will be closed from Friday, March 13 through Friday, April 10.
“All extracurricular activities, including athletics, will be canceled through Friday, April 10.
“In the event of a COVID-19 diagnosis in our district after students return to school, we will inform our parents and staff immediately. Because of privacy laws, MVCSC has been legally advised not to share any details, which would include the name of the school(s) that had the diagnosis.”
Eastern Hancock sent this note to families late Thursday evening:
“In light of the recent announcement from Governor Holcomb, all Eastern Hancock Schools will be closed on Friday, March 13th. This will not be considered an e-learning day. Students will have e-learning days from Monday, March 16th through Wednesday, March 18th. Students will not have academic responsibilities on Thursday, March 19th or Friday, March 20th. The building will be open on Friday, March 13th from 10am until 4pm for students to pick up any needed items including any needed medicines from the clinic.
“Spring Break will begin on March 23rd and end on April 3rd. At this point we plan to resume classes at Eastern Hancock on Monday, April 6th if advised by local and State health officials.
“Staff will report to school on Friday, March 13th to prepare for next week’s elearning days. Staff please check your email for further information.
All school activities will be canceled until the end of the day on Friday, March 20th. At that point we will re-evaluate activities scheduled over spring break. The S.A.T. that was scheduled for Saturday, March 14th at Eastern Hancock will be postponed. Further information will be available on the College Board website.”
St. Michael Principal Ruth Hittel sent this note to families Thursday evening:
“This situation is changing hourly. In conjunction with the Archdiocese of Indianapolis and the Governor of Indiana, St. Michael Catholic School will be closed until April 5th. This is a closure and not an eLearning event. I will update you as appropriate during this time. My hope is that God watches over each of you during this time and brings you back to school safe and healthy.”
Holcomb, meanwhile, acted as a cascading series of cancellations and growing alarm over the spread of the virus built late this week.
The state will offer school corporations a 20-day waiver of the required 180 instructional days to use as needed for the rest of the school year. The waived days do not need to be used consecutively and can be leveraged as needed, according to the news release from the governor’s office. Waiver applications will be available today, the news release said.
Non-essential gatherings must be limited to no more than 250 people, according to the news release. This includes any event or gathering of people who are in one room or a single space at the same time, including cafeterias, churches, stadiums, meeting and conference rooms, and auditoriums, the news release said.
State officials are encouraging seniors with known underlying health issues such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes or chronic respiratory disease to limit their public exposure and have food delivered, according to the news release.
“I fully expect there will be additional actions warranted in the coming days,” Holcomb said in the news release. “Just as we have since the beginning of the year, we are working with partners at all levels to secure all necessary resources for any escalation of this virus.”
Kristy Deer, Mitchell Kirk, Jessica Karins and Shelley Swift of the Daily Reporter staff contributed to this report.
