If Wednesday night’s Hamilton Southeastern (HSE) school board meeting is any barometer, local school officials are facing a divided community in making the tough decisions this coming school year. At the previous board session, approval was given to a proposal to start school in-person with a virtual option for families. Superintendent Allen Bourff emphasized that the plan could change.
Plans did change. An increase in positive COVID-19 tests in Fishers resulted in an announcement last week that the first month or so of school would be virtual, with the next phase possibly after Labor Day, based on the health department numbers.
There was an agenda item for board discussion, but not a vote, on “COVID-19 preparations.” Board policy allows time-limited public comment on any board agenda item. At least 12 people spoke Wednesday night, a clear majority in favor of starting school in-person, opposing the current plans for the start of the 2020-2021 school year.
Board President Michelle Fullhart then read a statement (you can listen to her read the statement during the board meeting at this link). Then Superintendent Allen Bourff presented the numbers provided by the Fishers Health Department that led to the decision to start the school year virtually.
Dr. Bourff told the board that on July 17, the health department number showed 0.63 percent of the Fishers population had tested positive, and just days later the health department reported 0.68 percent positive, with about 1,100 tests yet to be processed due to a backlog.
The school corporation held a table-top COVID-19 emergency exercise with city officials which revealed a number of situations the schools had not considered.
Dr. Bourff also pointed out that the sports programs in the district have been functioning, and may provide a glimpse into what reopening school buildings may have in store.
“We have had so many [positive] cases [in the athletic program] that we have had to quarantine entire teams,” Bourff told the board. “We have had to quarantine the coaches. We don’t know but what will be the similar experience when we open schools. [sic]”
Bourff was not specific about which sports teams, grade levels or groups of coaches were under quarantine due to positive COVID-19 tests.
Fishers is showing a higher percentage of positive cases by population than the rest of Hamilton County, but Fishers is also conducting more novel coronavirus tests, Dr. Bourff said.
It was also made clear, just as it was in the previous board meeting, that changes will continue to be made. School administrators were scheduled to meet with the teachers association the day after the board meeting, which could spur more changes.
I have lived in Fishers for 29 years and have seen a number of tough issues come before the local school board. This one will be one of those issues because the community is very divided. Many agree with the majority of those speaking at the Wednesday night board meeting. Others are just as adamant that school should not start in-person until students and staff feel safe in the buildings.
I have been hearing from both sides and other views much more nuanced. I have no idea what the majority view is, if there is one, but I know the lines have been drawn.
I interviewed all the school board members currently serving on the board during their election campaigns and I can assure you no one brought up the issue of managing the fourth-largest school district in the state during a one-in-a hundred-year pandemic. There is a school board election coming up in November and I expect those candidates will be focusing on that as a major issue.
We all want what is best for our kids in school. My twin daughters attended HSE Schools grades K-12 and received a top-notch education. It is sad to see the staff and students forced to deal with such an unforeseen circumstance. Whatever decisions are made as school begins soon, whether you agree with the decisions or not, let’s support the staff and the students and get through this as best we can.