By John Estridge
Franklin County Middle School will go back on Monday, February 1, to what was a normal, fulltime in-school schedule before the pandemic while Franklin County High School will remain on its current hybrid schedule at least until the next regularly scheduled school board meeting set for Monday evening, February 8.
Those decisions were made at a special board meeting Wednesday night, January 27. Scheduling for the two schools was the only agenda item.
School members had to absorb a lot of information in the 23-minute meeting before making their decisions.
Franklin County Community School Corporation Superintendent Tammy Chavis started the meeting off talking about the high school and discussions that have centered around the classroom setting at the school, which she defined as everything except extra-curricular activities, as it relates to the pandemic.
She said teachers and staff have concerns about opening up school to fulltime in-class learning at this point. Franklin County remains in the red category with the state’s coronavirus map. It is updated every Wednesday. Franklin County is now one of only five counties Indiana counties in that category.
Chavis also discussed Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb’s press conference held earlier on Wednesday. While numbers are improving, state officials also asked for continued caution. Also, Indiana Health Commissioner Dr. Kristina Box said it is her understanding some schools are abandoning quarantine protocols in the state, and she encouraged Hoosier schools to continue to follow state guidance.
“With all that being said, my recommendation to the board tonight is that we pause that particular recommendation to move away from that (current hybrid schedule) and see where the state goes,” Chavis said.
Board member Beth Foster said all the school board members want to get the students back in school fulltime, but she agreed with the Chavis’ assessment to be patient and wait for more encouraging information about Franklin County, the state and country in general before making that move.
However, Foster said the decision to send the students back to a fulltime in-school learning situation may come in seven days or 14 days as information concerning the pandemic is always changing.
Several school board members said they did not want to open school at this point to fulltime in-school learning and have the mass quarantines that are needed in class settings where students intermingle in hallways, cafeterias and school buses as well as classrooms.
Board president Sharon Wesolowski said in talking with parents, the hybrid system works for some students, but it does not work for other students. She said the option for the middle school is the same as the high school to stay on the hybrid model at this time. She told the other board members she was the last one to go on the hybrid bandwagon, but now she is on it.
“I don’t want to go back to quarantining 60 kids at a pop because one person tests positive,” Wesolowski said.
Board member Grant Reeves said when the two schools go back to fulltime in-school learning, it is imperative that parents keep their children home from school when the students have borderline symptoms and could be coming down with the virus.
Reeves, who is an attorney, agreed the school corporation should not supersede the governor and health commissioner’s recommendations.
However, Chavis said after a staff meeting at the middle school earlier on Wednesday she wanted to make the recommendation the middle school start fulltime in-school learning beginning on Monday, February 1.
Chavis said even though there may be an increase in the number of students going into quarantine at the middle school, teachers were adamant they wanted to go to the fulltime in-school learning situation as soon as possible.
Board member Terry Bryant said the middle school was put on the hybrid schedule much later than the high school, and it may be plausible to start the fulltime in-school schedule at the middle school before the high school.
When asked what would be the possible tipping point to once again abandon the fulltime in-school learning situation, Chavis said she would rely on the school corporation’s head nurse and the county health department for guidance.
The vote for middle school was unanimous.
It was emphasized that the students who opted for at-home learning via the internet, will stay on that program.
For the high school, Foster and FCHS Principal Dustin Riley suggested the hybrid schedule be changed to three days one week for the A-K students and then two days the next week. If the L-Z students have two days one week, they would have three days the next week.
However, board members did not think there would not be enough time to set up the new schedule before the next board meeting, so it was decided to keep with the same schedule until the February 8 meeting. Riley will give an update concerning quarantine numbers and staff recommendations at that meeting.
That vote was also unanimous.
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