Batesville Schools Plan Return To Classrooms In August

BCSC is developing a document entitled “Batesville Blueprint: Bringing Bulldogs Back Safely on August 5th.”

(Batesville, Ind.) — With a detailed plan to bring students back safely, the Batesville Community School Corporation (BCSC) has announced that it will return to in-classroom instruction on the scheduled first day of school on August 5, according to Paul Ketcham, BCSC superintendent. The BCSC plan is contingent upon Governor Eric Holcomb moving Indiana into Stage 5 of its safe reopening plan in early July, as projected.

“Using guidance provided by the Indiana Department of Education (IDOE), the BCSC administration is addressing every aspect of school life and making the adjustments we think are necessary to safely bring our students and staff back into our buildings,” Ketcham stated. “The governor has empowered local school districts to review the recommendations offered by the IDOE and to tailor those for each community. We’ve been working hard to determine the best practices for keeping students healthy while still delivering the quality education Batesville is famous for.”

BCSC is developing a document entitled “Batesville Blueprint: Bringing Bulldogs Back Safely on August 5th,” which will provide a district-specific version of the IDOE guidelines. The guidelines will address common concerns such as safety on the buses, in the classroom, at meal times, and during athletics and other extracurriculars. In addition, the plan will address steps parents and guardians can take at home to reduce the risk of spreading communicable disease within the school community.

“To explain Batesville’s plans, I’ll be providing weekly video updates to students, parents, and other stakeholders between now and the start of school,” Ketcham explained. “These videos will help break down our plans into smaller sections, and will be shared on social media and on our special COVID-19 website.”

More information and the videos will be available at https://batesvilleinschools.com/covid-19/. Like the guidance provided by the state, this local document is likely to be subject to revision.

“Well-informed parents will play a crucial role in meeting the BCSC re-entry goals,” Ketcham noted. “The most important way that BCSC can reduce the impact of COVID-19 in our school community is for parents to understand not only about what we are doing in the schools but how they can be our partners at home to help slow the spread,” Ketcham continued. “This pandemic means our entire mindset must change about when it’s appropriate to attend school if you are ill. If your child has symptoms, we simply do not expect them to be at school, and we’ll be developing plans to ensure they can keep up with their assignments if they are required to be absent due to health directives.

“Combining our changes in the way the school environment will function with each school family taking personal responsibility to protect others seriously, I believe we can navigate the return to school successfully,” Ketcham stated. “The spring taught us to be flexible; the fall is likely to provide different lessons. But as our motto says, ‘At Batesville, we believe in better.’ We’re drafting plans for bringing the students and staff back safely. If we find some adjustments are necessary to make it better, that’s what we’ll do.”