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COVID-19 concerns delays first day of school
Clay Community School Corporation delayed the start of school Tuesday afternoon less than 24 hours before the scheduled return of students after being off due to COVID-19 since March. Students are now expected to return to the first day of classes on Monday.
Although the school board, administration officials, and the staff at the corporation have been discussing the return of school, the COVID-19 pandemic is making it very difficult.
Superintendent Jeff Fritz announced in a press release Tuesday that “local health officials have witnessed a dramatic increase in the positivity rate for COVID-19 in Clay County,” which lead to the tough decision to make the delay a reality.
“We are fortunate that we have Head Nurse Lynn Stoelting working so closely and in constant communication with our local health officials,” said Fritz Thursday. “We are educators, not health officials, and we are relying upon guidance from Gov. Eric Holcomb, the Indiana State Department of Health, and the Indiana Department of Education, and they confirm we need to work in concert with our local health officials to ensure the health and welfare of our children, staff members, and the community.”
Fritz understands the frustration many families of students and members of the community feel about the fluid health crisis. The information at all levels of response to COVID-19 can start one way in the morning, change before lunch, and then change again within a couple of hours.
“It’s not easy,” admits Fritz. “Our number one goal is to get our children back in the classroom, but we have to do that with the safety of everyone involved. Our desire is not to delay this any more than necessary.”
School officials are reviewing the local pandemic data daily, paying attention to positivity rates, increased testing, and the number of positive cases being reported locally.
“We are watching it closely, and hope to have a determination Friday for families about going back to school Monday,” said Fritz, who knows the weekend data can change the outlook if things take a turn for the worse. “We are doing our best to make sure we have a safe school year, but we are going to err on the side of safety.”