About 75% of Bartholomew Consolidated School Corp. students accounted for in a recent survey are likely to return to school for in-class learning.
The survey, released on June 11, asked BCSC parents and guardians about the likelihood of them sending their children back to school, along their concerns and comments regarding reopening. According to a recent statement by the school corporation, BCSC received more than 8,000 responses to this survey.
Since respondents were asked to fill out one survey for every student in their household, that means more than 70% of total BCSC’s student population is represented in the survey responses.
“Close to 75% (of responses) indicated that they planned to send their child to BCSC for traditional in-class instruction,” said communications coordinator Josh Burnett. “And then, when they were asked to identify reasons for sending their children back to school, they indicated they have few concerns about school resuming and that their child really needs socialization, special services, activities.”
According to BCSC’s recent statement, “When asked to identify areas that were of concern, parents cited the challenges of students maintaining social distancing and the corporation’s proper cleaning and disinfecting of facilities.”
Superintendent Jim Roberts said respondents also cited the danger of a student potentially getting infected at school and spreading the virus to their family. He said some parents and guardians responded they might keep their children at home because they found in the spring that “that style of learning suited their child well.”
Roberts said that on or about July 6, BCSC will release an “executive summary” of reopening plans, which will include traditional and e-learning options.
“The executive summary will give a certain amount of specifics in terms of how we’re trying to go back and the models that we are employing to do that,” he said. “And then we will have a lot of subcategories of that plan that have the down-in-the-weeds details of the practices that have to occur across the corporation in each of our school buildings to make that work.”
Specific plans will likely vary by school, Roberts said. At the July 20 board meeting, there will be a presentation regarding “best practices that are occurring generally” across the school system.
According to the school corporation’s statement, “The district is developing its reopening plan by using data from this survey, input from a variety of stakeholders, collaboration with the Bartholomew County Health Department, and resources from the Indiana Department of Education, Indiana State Department of Health, and the Centers for Disease Control.”
BCSC currently plans to have its first student day of the 2020-2021 school year on Aug. 6.
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BCSC’s statement on the reopening survey results can be viewed at its website, bcscschools.org/, or on the school corporation’s Facebook page at facebook.com/bcscschools/.
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