AUDIO: Lawrenceburg Superintendent Previews Upcoming School Year

The first day of school is scheduled for Wednesday, August 5.

(Lawrenceburg, Ind.) - One week from today is start of the school year eve for Lawrenceburg students. 

Superintendent Karl Galey joined Eagle Country 99.3's Bubba Bo on Tuesday morning to preview the upcoming school year and the challenges presented by COVID-19. 

The first day of school is scheduled for Wednesday, August 5. Some students will arrive at school for in-person instruction, while about 10 percent, or a little over 200 students will remain home for virtual learning. 

"We are fairly confident that we are going to try and get the school year started with all safety precautions in place," said Galey. "We accept the challenge. We are doing everything we can to provide as many safety barriers and implement those and put them in place to keep our students and staff safe." 

One safety measure has been mandated by Governor Eric Holcomb. All students grades 3-12 will be required to wear face coverings. The school corporation has received an "x" amount of masks from the state, and every student will receive at least two cloth masks. Students will have the option to wear their own face coverings. 

Social distancing "is the biggest challenge in the classroom," according to Galey. "We've added PPE. We'll have desk barriers, hand sanitizer, sanitizing wipes and face shields." 

Galey added that every student will be provided with a face shield. 

Due to the governor's executive order regarding the requirement to wear masks in grades 3-12, parents and guardians should contact their child's principal to request a change from virtual to in-person or vice-versa. All requests need to happen as soon as possible. 

HEAR BUBBA BO'S INTERVIEW WITH KARL GALEY IN THE AUDIO PLAYER BELOW

This school year will be unique considering a portion of students will learn from home. Parents and guardians are being reminded that there is a difference between e-learning and virtual. 

At the end of the last school year, Lawrenceburg schools were thrust into e-learning without a choice. This time around, students will engage differently with the curriculum through virtual learning. Certain staff members will be in charge of virtual learning.

At the high school level, Plato Learning has been used for several years. The digital platform includes courses aligned to state and national standards. The program's rigorous and engaging online content is designed to meet each student at their proficiency level through the use of media-rich and interactive experiences.

Middle school students will be introduced to Google Meet and Zoom, to allow students at home to participate with the live class. 

Galey also touched on the new direct and close contact rules put in place by the Dearborn County Health Department. Medical director Stephen Eliason that close or direct contacts are now required to isolate for 14 days, and that receiving two negative test results is no longer an option for removal of isolation status.  

"Be patient with us because this is an evolving, ever-changing kind of process," said Galey. "Things are going to change. We will have positive cases, and we will deal with those on an individual basis. We will then do contact tracing to see who else needs to quarantine." 

Despite concerns about COVID-19 and how that will impact the school year going forward, there is a lot of excitement around the school corporation, including a $31 million renovation project. 

"We are excited for the school year," said Galey. "We want to see kids back. We're excited about updating our buildings. So, it is exciting times at Lawrenceburg and I know our staff is ready for the challenge. 

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