REMOTE DEJA VU FOR SCHOOLS IN 2022?
COVID-19 spike spurs some districts to return to online learning, while others watch and wait
As COVID-19 infections increase, two Lake County school districts have pushed back the in-person return of students from their winter break so the districts can assess staffing levels and prepare a testing protocol.
Lake Ridge New Tech Schools officials, in Calumet Township, said students will have a week of virtual learning beginning Monday, before coming back in person on Jan. 10. The Gary Community School Corp, in a release Friday, followed Lake Ridge’s lead announcing remote learning for the week.
“With the omicron variant quickly spreading, we all need to continue to do our part to navigate this critical point in the pandemic,” Superintendent Sharon Johnson-Shirley said.
She said the district is finalizing plans for a weekly testing program to be conducted in schools at no cost to families.
Once they return, students will be required to wear masks indoors at all times. The district said children should bring their own masks and wear them properly because the district’s supply of disposable masks was running low.
The district urged eligible students and community members to get vaccinated or get a booster dose.
Children ages 5 and older can get vaccinated against COVID-19.
“We sincerely appreciate the support and flexibility of our families and staff as we work to implement the protocols necessary to keep everyone safe and reduce transmission of the virus,” said Johnson-Shirley.
Meanwhile, the School City of Hammond told parents it might return to remote learning if cases are high are among students and staff.
The district told parents it was monitoring “the alarming number” of cases in Lake County in anticipation of an even greater rise after the winter break.
Lake County entered the state’s red category, signifying the highest level of virus transmissibility, earlier in December. Porter County was also at the red advisory level.
“We recognize that finding adequate child care for most families is difficult, so we want to give each of you time to plan if e-learning is necessary,” the letter to Hammond parents stated.
In the Gary release, parents were reminded that if their students need devices, they can be picked up at the schools. All sporting events have also been canceled, but that lunch pickups are scheduled for Tuesday and Thursday. Parents are asked to consult the schools web page at www.GarySchools. org and social media platforms: Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.
Earlier, Gary Community School Corp. manager Paige McNulty said the district was monitoring case rates closely and was also prepared to go remote.
McNulty said the district was also working to update its COVID-19 protocol to reflect the new Centers for Disease Control guidelines that shorten quarantine periods.
In Porter County, districts were preparing for in-school classes. Educators found last year that student achievement declined after months of remote learning.
Duneland School Corp. Assistant Superintendent Robert McDermott said a return to remote learning isn’t anticipated.
“We will continue to monitor our specific case data and remain in regular communication with the Porter County Health Department and the Indiana Department of Health,” he said.
Students in most of Northwest Indiana’s schools are required to wear masks. Masks became optional in the Crown Point Community Schools on Dec. 6, but students must wear masks again if a school’s infection rate is 2% or above.
Some districts are facing parental push back against masks. The Lake Central School Corp. is being sued in federal court by parents over its mask requirement.
The Indiana State Department of Health’s COVID-19 dashboard listed the delta variant as the state’s most dominant in 98.7% of samples. The omicron variant, which is expected to soon dominate, represented just 0.9% of samples.
The state listed the vaccination rate for children ages 5-11 at just 1.9%; 4% for ages 12-15 and 4.8% for ages 16-19.
Data shows just 52% of Hoosiers are fully vaccinated, while 57.9% have had at least one dose.