Bartholomew Consolidated School Corp. has released a public statement regarding its new hybrid model, which may now be viewed on the school corporation’s website.
The school board voted to add the hybrid model to the BCSC reopening plan as a possible option in the event of increased community spread of COVID-19.
BCSC shared links to two documents about the hybrid model on its website on Wednesday. One shows recommendations for learning and extracurriculars based on the level of community spread. The other shows the model for hybrid learning that could be implemented.
"The first document is our effort to align our potential instructional operations decisions with the color coding levels from the state," Superintendent Jim Roberts said. "The state releases these levels each Wednesday, providing us with additional information as we attempt to make operational decisions. We will not stop using our local red/yellow/green accounting metrics, but we know that our stakeholders are also paying close attention to what is happening at the state level."
The Indiana State Board of Health dashboard shows that Bartholomew County is currently in yellow or moderate community spread with a score of 1.5.
If implemented, the hybrid model would split students into two groups by last name. Students with surnames A-K would attend in person on Monday and Tuesday and do eLearning Wednesday through Friday. Students with last names beginning L-Z would do eLearning Monday through Wednesday and attend in person Thursday and Friday.
If the school corporation would decide to implement the hybrid model in the future, middle and high schools would immediately begin the alternating day schedule, according to BCSC officials. Depending on the level of community spread, elementary schools would either continue to offer five-day in-person instruction or also switch to the same alternating schedule.
"It is our belief that adding these hybrid models to our reopening plan simply adds ‘more tools to our toolbox’ as we continue to address the challenges of COVID-19," Roberts said.
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The statement regarding the hybrid model, as well as links to the documents concerning this model, can be found at bcscschools.org.
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