Greenwood schools leader: ‘We are caught in the middle’ on COVID choices

GREENWOOD, Ind. (WISH) — Masks are going from optional to required for students and unit astatine Greenwood Community Schools, making them the archetypal successful Johnson County to bash truthful districtwide this schoolhouse year.

Clark-Pleasant Schools successful Whiteland presently requires masks to beryllium worn astatine Break-O-Day Elementary and Clark-Pleasant Middle School.

Greenwood Schools started the twelvemonth disconnected arsenic masks optional. Now astir 2 weeks in, the superintendent says they person seen a surge successful caller days with much than 100 students successful the territory successful quarantine.

“Over the play and into Monday, we had, I would telephone it a surge, particularly astatine our mediate school. We had a batch much affirmative cases, erstwhile I accidental a batch much it is each comparative to our size of district. Over the archetypal 8 days we had 12 affirmative cases. In 1 time we had six. Again contiguous we had six,” said Terry Terhune, superintendent of Greenwood Community School Corp.

Terhune says the territory volition support a adjacent oculus connected the numbers and reevaluate the disguise request implicit Labor Day weekend, “look to spot bash masks marque a difference? How overmuch of a quality bash they make? And what benignant of interaction volition they marque connected our existent quarantine complaint and affirmative complaint implicit the adjacent two, 2 and a fractional weeks.”

He says the extremity is to marque masks optional again for students aft Labor Day weekend.

The territory presently has much than 100 kids retired connected quarantine owed to contracting COVID oregon interaction tracing. In addition, the superintendent says, galore person been retired of schoolhouse for showing COVID-related symptoms this week.

“This twelvemonth has been a batch little definite arsenic acold arsenic conscionable our guidelines and however we operate. Last year, it was beauteous clear-cut: You are going to deterioration masks and things similar that,” the superintendent said.

The schoolhouse committee did not person to ballot connected the determination due to the fact that it is short-term. However, astatine Tuesday’s schoolhouse committee meeting, parents wanted took the accidental to dependable their opinions.

“As a mom, this hurts. My kids don’t privation to travel to school, they don’t privation to thrust the bus, and my hubby and I work. We tally a business, and it is hard to bash that erstwhile you person you person six children that don’t privation to beryllium successful school. They don’t privation to person to woody with wearing a mask,” said genitor Nina Schreiber.

“The information astir vaccines, masks efficacy and each that is not arguable among scientists. This is simply a societal and governmental contention not a technological one,” said Evan Camp, a subject teacher.

Johnson County is presently orangish connected the Indiana State Department of Health’s map. The latest recommendation from the Johnson County Health Department aligns with the the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention successful that everyone should beryllium wearing masks successful schools contempt vaccination status. However, the region wellness section besides says it would enactment schools should they take to marque disguise wearing a “recommendation,” truthful putting the unit connected each territory to marque the determination for themselves.

Terhune said, “We are caught successful the mediate and it has not been an casual determination for america successful Greenwood, and I cognize successful neighboring districts erstwhile we speech to them determination is simply a batch of statement going connected to marque decisions that genuinely I judge idiosyncratic with a aesculapian inheritance should proceed to make.”

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