NEW PALESTINE — If all goes well and COVID-19 numbers do not increase, all students taking classes in Southern Hancock schools will be back for in-person learning on Monday, Nov. 30.
Students, teachers and staff are off this week for Thanksgiving break.
District officials have released new details of their back-to-school plans following several weeks of virtual learning amid an increase in COVID-19 infections and close-contact quarantining affecting four of the district’s six schools. If the plan holds, Southern Hancock will be the first school district in the county to fully reopen its buildings. The other three districts will stick to some combination of at-home and in-person attendance for the time being after the holiday break.
The district has hired a contractor to thoroughly clean some of the buildings they’ve had to close more than once.
“They’re just able to do a lot more sanitizing and sterilizing than we can and they do it a lot quicker,” community relations director Wes Anderson said.
In a notice sent out to families late Friday, Nov. 20, district officials noted they never want to shut down schools and will do so only as a last resort.
“It has always been our goal to have our schools be open for students to learn and families to continue to work,” Superintendent Lisa Lantrip said.
The following criteria will drive decisions to close schools in Southern Hancock:
–If there are five active positive COVID-19 cases in one school, that school will close.
–If there is an absence rate of 20% or higher in one school, it will close.
–If staff absences in excess of the number of available substitute teachers occur, the school will close.
The district is also monitoring guidelines issued by the Hancock County Health Department and Indiana State Department of Health.
While district officials are currently planning to return on Nov. 30, Lantrip warned, “Changes may occur on short notice.”
She asked families to have a plan in place should the schools close and virtual learning be put in place.
Administrators have asked families during the break to monitor their emails and the district’s social media sites for important updates. Families have been asked to continue to report COVID-19 symptoms, tests or quarantines over the break.
“This information will help us make informed decisions about our return on Nov. 30,” Lantrip said. “The success of our in-person instruction plan depends on our community stopping the spread of COVID-19 outside of school.”
Anderson noted officials will monitor conditions this week.
“It’s been real important for our district to set some concrete parameters and to make sure our people understand and know what can close us down,” Anderson said.
District officials noted the administration and officials from the Hancock County Health Department are both concerned about a potential COVID-19 spike after the holiday and are asking people to be mindful in social situations.
“Please help us stay open by doing your part,” Lantrip said.
New Palestine High School, with 26 reported cases as of the most recent data on the state’s COVID-19 dashboard, ranks second in the county in the number of reported student infections.
