BCSC Makes Revision To Re-Entry Plan; Mask Mandate Now In Place

Classes start on August 5.

(Batesville, Ind.) – To wear a mask or to not wear a mask, that is the question people have been asking themselves for the better part of five months. 

While the general public is entitled to their own opinion on the matter, one area school is doing what they think is best to protect students and staff. 

Batesville Community School Corporation will require face coverings when school starts back up on August 5.

Masks or face shields will be mandated on all BCSC buses and in all buildings. Exceptions to the mandate will include breakfast, lunch, snacks, drinks and exemptions due to medical reasons. Other masks breaks will be granted throughout the school day.

The change was made after consultation with Margaret Mary Health, Dr. David Welsh, and the BCSC board. The consensus was that wearing masks will help protect students, staff, school families and the community.

For more information about the BCSC mask mandate, visit https://batesvilleinschools.com/covid-19/face-coverings/.

Margaret Mary Health issued the following statements:

Tim Putnam, CEO Margaret Mary Health

“In this unprecedented and dynamic time, it is hard for anyone to know with absolute certainty that plans put in place will not be without their challenges or adjustments as learning evolves.  That said, we are in full support of the Batesville School Corporation’s active efforts to keep students safe and find the best solutions for managing this pandemic while providing an excellent education for the children in our community. At this time, the use of face masks, especially when people are indoors for extended periods of time and cannot guarantee adequate social distancing, has proven the best viable solution to keeping people from spreading and contracting COVID-19. Every week we learn more about this virus, how to treat it, and how to keep people from becoming infected.  We will continue to share what we learn with school corporation leaders in the coming months.”

 Dr. John Gryspeerdt – Chief of Medical Staff, Margaret Mary Health

“The Batesville School Corporation has long enjoyed a well-deserved reputation of delivering exemplary education to our youth.  Thanks to the strong leadership of local BCSC officials, this tradition will continue as we begin a new academic year this fall.  Especially in light of these turbulent times, the decision to reopen the classrooms next month will provide a welcomed boost in the quality of learning available to our students and to their morale.  Our community is craving a dampening of anxieties that only a thoughtful and deliberate attempt to return to normality offers. 

Courage is not action taken while ignoring fearful elements but rather acknowledging those fears and moving forward despite them.  In drafting the “bulldog blueprint,” our educational leaders have shown that they are fully aware of health risks that face our pupils and teaching staff and have taken appropriate, science-based steps, including mask-wearing of students and staff, to mitigate those risks.  Our students are hungry to learn and yearn for the renewing of their friendships that can best occur in the classroom and athletic venues.  The decision to reopen is indeed courageous.  While moving forward with reopening classrooms certainly is not without some risk, I wholeheartedly believe moving forward with the school year offers greater rewards.”

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