Bartholomew Consolidated School Corp. officials have released another update on local COVID-19 indicators which will guide the school corporation whether a safe reopening occurs on Monday.
The Bartholomew Consolidated School Corp. originally planned to open its doors for in-person learning Thursday, but moved the start date back by four days.
The most recent report, released Monday, shows that the per capita positive rate (per 100,000) was 11.3 on July 29 and 10.3 on July 30, putting that category into a “substantial spread” category for both days. It then fell to 9.6 on July 31 before rising to 9.8 on Aug. 2.
“It is important to note as we said in the Friday School Board Strategic Planning session that a single metric will not determine our overall school status,” said Superintendent Jim Roberts in statement. “Our school status will be based on a review of the metrics we are using, combined with consultation with our local medical professionals and additional data from surrounding counties.”
The COVID-19 indicators are being monitored daily by BCSC’s internal team and that the school corporation is “staying in close dialogue with Columbus Regional Health and the Bartholomew County Health Department,” Roberts said.
Communications coordinator Josh Burnett said that the internal team includes Roberts, Director of Nursing Kelli Thompson and Assistant Superintendent and Director of Finance Chad Phillips.
BCSC’s reopening for in-person learning is dependent upon whether or not certain COVID-19 data indicates that the school system is in a “low,” “moderate” or “substantial” spread. BCSC is currently set to reopen Monday for in-person learning under the “moderate spread” category. An overall designation of “substantial spread” would result in a move to eLearning for all students.
The new report shows the school corporation in a continued moderate spread category with the following indicators:
Per Capita Positive Rate (per 100,000) was 9.8 as of Aug. 2
Per Capita Positive Rate Trend was increasing as of Aug. 2
Percent Positive Test Rate was 8.2% as of July 29
Percent Positive Test Rate Trend was increasing as of July 29
Test Turnaround Time (average of the prior week) was 3.1 days as of Aug. 3
There were three COVID-19 hospitalizations as of Aug. 3
The percent positive test rate was in the minimal/no spread zone as of July 29. If it continues to rise, 10-15% would put it into the moderate spread zone, and anything above 15% would put it into the substantial spread zone.
Test turnaround time is currently in the moderate spread zone. Anything longer than five days would move it into substantial spread.
BCSC’s metrics, which include data from CRH and the Indiana State Department of Health, take into account not only COVID-19 spread in Bartholomew County, but also the surrounding counties. Roberts acknowledged that there may be some lag in the state numbers that are being reported.
Phillips said that some of the data is marked as pending or not available for the following reasons: “When we get the number of positive tests, that number rarely changes as the state updates the data. However, there is a lag in the reporting of the number of tests administered, which equals pending on our indicators until the data is received. As the days pass, the number of tests administered rises as the data comes into the state. Therefore, the rate will always be inflated for the most recent days (until all of the data comes in).”
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The following is an official statement issued by BCSC Superintendent Dr. Jim Roberts:
We are monitoring these indicators on a daily basis with our internal team as well as by staying in close dialogue with Columbus Regional Health and the Bartholomew County Health Department. As per our Reopening Plan, an overall designation of “Substantial Spread” will result in a move to eLearning for all students.
It is important to note as we said in the Friday School Board Strategic Planning session that a single metric will not determine our overall school status. Our school status will be based on a review of the metrics we are using, combined with consultation with our local medical professionals and additional data from surrounding counties. By communicating on a regular basis with our stakeholders, we are attempting to be as transparent as possible about this ever-changing situation. It is our hope that by doing so, we will work together to make the best decisions for our students, staff, and community.
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BCSC’s updates on COVID-19 are available on its website, https://www.bcscschools.org/.
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