BCSC officials weigh governor’s directives on COVID-19

Bartholomew Consolidated Schools are evaluating how to implement changes and mandates from the state on COVID-19 prevention measures.

Superintendent Dr. Jim Roberts told the school board earlier this week that the changes announced last week by Governor Eric Holcomb include distributing 10 KN-95 masks to every staff member and starting rapid testing at schools this week including the shipping of 120 test kits to each school. Roberts said the schools are not comfortable with and don’t have procedures in place to do testing in the schools. The district could look at transferring all those tests kits to the county health department to conduct tests of school staff and students through that agency, he said.

Other changes include redefining close contact in classrooms as being less than three feet apart for 15 minutes or more and new requirements for quarantine periods, depending on if a person who tested positive ever developed symptoms and if they can wear a mask at all times.

Roberts said that the district is not yet ready to implement the governor’s announced changes and are still figuring out how they will be brought to the schools.

BCSC officials will be re-evaluating current conditions tomorrow to decide whether to return middle school and high school students to a regular schedule or to continue on with the hybrid learning. Under hybrid learning, students attend part of the week in class and part in e-learning, depending on the letters of their last name. If any changes are made, they would go into effect on Monday.