Several districts back to in-person learning

Schools return after e-learning period due to staffing quarantines

Many school districts in the area returned to in-person learning this week after taking several weeks off in an attempt to end quarantines of students and staff while cases numbers in Lake and Porter counties continued to rise.

Lake Central School Corp. was one of many districts that moved to online learning last month after a large number of staff members were quarantined, Superintendent Larry Veracco said. The district returned to in-person learning on Monday.

Now, there are positive cases at almost every school in the district, though the numbers are low. Twenty students and 26 staff members reported positive results throughout the district as of data updated Dec. 9, and 325 students and 68 staff members are currently in quarantine.

The School Town of Highland also returned to in-person learning this week, and according to data updated on Dec. 4, the district has two students and four staff members with positive tests, and 11 students and two staff members are currently quarantined.

“We appreciate the partnership between administration, teachers, parents and students,” Superintendent Brian Smith said in a message sent to families. “It is our collective efforts which will ultimately get us to the light at the end of the tunnel.”

This week, the Indiana State Department of Health reported 2,345 new student positive cases, 512 new teacher positive cases and 642 new positive cases among staff, bringing the state totals to 14,011 student cases, 2,999 teacher cases and 3,533 staff positive cases. Lake County currently has a seven-day positivity rate of 17.3%, while Porter County has a sevenday positivity rate of 15.1%.

Portage Township Schools, which will remain online until January 11, has reported at least four cases this week.

In a message sent to families, Superintendent Amanda Alaniz asked families to try to limit interactions with those outside of social circles, wear face masks, social distance and wash hands before the return to in-person learning.

“We must continue our efforts as a community to slow the spread of COVID-19, as this is what will allow us to provide a safe and healthy learning environment for our students,” she said.

Tri-Creek Community School Corp., which has high school students learning online and elementary and middle school students learning in person, has seen at least four positive tests in students and one positive test in staff members, resulting in the quarantine of more than 20 individuals.

This week in a letter to families, Superintendent Rod Gardin detailed new CDC guidelines for quarantine, in which the options for quarantine were reduced to make it easier for people to quarantine.

The CDC announced earlier this week that options for quarantine now including stopping quarantine after day 10 without testing or after day seven when a negative test result is received.

While shorter quarantines are possible, the CDC still endorses 14-day quarantines, which Gardin said the district agrees with.

“After discussing the new options with our administrators and school nurses, we will continue to use the 14-day quarantine period,” he wrote.

“This decision was made because we cannot guarantee that students will be able to be six feet apart from each other in school and especially on the school bus.

“Most importantly, the 14-day quarantine period is the safest choice to help r e duce t he s pread of COVID-19.”