By John Estridge
Franklin County High School will stay on the hybrid teaching system through the end of the calendar year.
That was decided in a 5-2 vote Monday night, November 9, at the Franklin County Community School Corporation Board of Trustees meeting. Board members Sharon Wesolowski and Terry Bryant voted against the continuation of the hybrid educational process.
FCHS counselor Whitney Gillman made a presentation to the school board about the need to continue the hybrid education system. She pointed at increased numbers of positive COVID-19 test results both in the county, surrounding counties and the state itself.
Several area schools are closed due to the virus. Connersville High School is now closed. It will reopen next week using the same hybrid education system as FCHS now utilizes. It was stated more than 200 students were absent at CHS when the administration decided to close the school for the rest of the week and then go to the hybrid model.
Union County College Corner Joint School District has suspended all extracurricular activities for the next two weeks. Fayette County School Corporation has also suspended its extracurricular activities for the same amount of time.
Among the area schools, which are closed or have been recently closed, are: Northeastern, Hagerstown, Greensburg, Knightstown, North Decatur, South Decatur, Jennings County and Rising Sun. Also mentioned by Gillman is Richmond. It started on the hybrid schedule and has decided to remain on the hybrid system.
The hybrid system FCSH employs has student attending class in person two days out of the week. Having education with the virtual method from home two days a week and then having a free day on Friday where students can contact teachers for extra help. When students attend is determined by the beginning letter of their last name. The reason for this is teachers can extra distance the students from each other.
If students want to attend fulltime, the staff makes provisions. Gillman said if one class has too many kids at third period, and it is offered again at fifth period and that class is not maxed out on being able to have students and still social distance, the student’s schedule is changed to make that happen.
However, Gillman said students can come for all four days if their parents do not want them being at home during school hours. Another option is students, who are in-person learning students, can go to all virtual learning at the end of the semester.
Gillman, in a previous presentation and again at the most recent meeting, showed with a normal classroom, a student who went to school with the virus would cause the nine other students in that one classroom to be quarantined. And there are seven different periods. With the hybrid model, none of the students in a classroom will have to be quarantined.
In answer to a school board member’s question on how second semester will be, Gillman said surveys have just been sent out asking virtual-learning students if they want to come back to in-school learning at the second semester and asking in-school students if they want to go virtual learning.
FCCSC Superintendent Dr. Debbie Howell said earlier Monday she was contacted by the Fayette School Corporation superintendent. He had questions concerning the hybrid model. It was announced Tuesday Connersville High School closed for the rest of the week and will go to the hybrid model when classes resume on Monday, November 16.
Indiana has set many daily records in the past two to three weeks regarding the amount of COVID-19 positive tests. Indiana has gone from records of more than 3,000 positive test results a day to the situation now when more than 5,000 and the high 4,000s seems routine.
Also, Gillman said the Centers for Disease Control has changed the amount of time being around a positive person for quarantine need. Before, it was a 15-minute continuous time period. That has changed to 15 minutes in a 24-hour period. Bryant, a retired teacher, asked how the teachers could walk around students without breaking that amount of time and wouldn’t it be almost impossible not to have at least a 15-minute window with a student.
Gillman said that was a good question and everything hinges on self reporting.
Board member Francis Brumback asked how many students at the high school are currently positive, and Gillman answered two, which caused two more students to be quarantined.
“It would have taken out more students if we had of been (back in school) fulltime,” Gillman said.
She said there have been 11 to 15 total positives in the high school overall.
“They all went home with symptoms,” Gillman said.
However, when students feel better, they want to come back to school.
Brumback said this is an imperfect educational situation but…
“I think everyone can agree this is an imperfect way to conduct an education, but considering the circumstances, I think you guys have done a wonderful job of presenting choices and reaching out to the students” Brumback said.
He said his son is a current student at the high school, and his son has taken advantage of spending more time with his teachers, and the teachers have done a tremendous job in reaching back.
“I think what you guys have done has helped keep kids in school,” Brumback said.
Gillman said there is a misconception the hybrid model is easier on teachers where it is the opposite, and all teachers have found it takes more hours to do both in-school and distance learning.
Howell agreed.
“I personally want to give a shout out and hope that everyone here recognizes the work they have done,” Howell said. “This is definitely not the easy road or the easy way out. The staff, the teachers will tell you they are working twice as hard, but they want it this way. The administration is literally bending over backwards to make this work for our students and families. The community owes these people a great, big thank you.”
“I think in their heads this is easier – this is not easier than having kids back fulltime — but this is easier than having kids in and out when they don’t know when the kids will be in and out,” Gillman said.
Board member Rick Gill said the most important aspect of the hybrid model is it keeps the students safe, and Gillman agreed with that analysis.
And that extends to the families, board member Phil Harsh said.
Wesolowski said while numbers are high in the state, Franklin County’s numbers are not bad.
“Why wouldn’t we try to get them back if we are doing so well?” Wesolowski asked.
According to Gillman, part of that reason may be the school system is following protocols. And if more students are exposed to the virus, then some will become positive and that could be brought back into their homes.
Nevertheless, Gillman said the Franklin County Health Department predicts Franklin County numbers, regarding positive tests, will go up during this surge.