NORTH VERNON — An increase in positive COVID-19 cases in Jennings County High School has resulted in students staying home for virtual learning for the next two weeks.
The announcement was made via a social media post on the high school and Jennings Schools Facebook pages Monday afternoon by Jennings County School Corp. Superintendent Teresa Brown. In the post, Brown said that a call went out to all parents and students to inform families of the changes.
JCHS Principal Dustin Roller said that all high school students will be utilizing virtual learning from home, and that students will receive their coursework via Google Classroom until Nov. 16.
Additionally, Southeastern Career Center students have been moved to virtual learning and will not attend school at the career center until all students return to in-person instruction. Students completing work-based learning and internship programs have also been instructed to not attend their placements while the high school is closed.
All JCHS extracurricular activities, including athletic events, practices, contests and performances, have been postponed until further notice, school officials said.
High school staff members are asking that parents let the school know if their student has tested positive for the virus during closure, and that all students remain at home for the next two weeks.
Food distribution will take place at the high school from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Friday in the back parting lot near the Commons at the high school. Students must be enrolled at Jennings County High School to receive food and must also submit the Google form sent out by the school on Wednesday to parents.
According to the Indiana State Department of Health, Jennings County has recorded 449 positive cases and 13 COVID-19 deaths since Feb. 26. Last week, the county posted a record 63 new positive cases. Over that seven-day span, the positivity rate for all tests was 7.2% and positive rate for unique individuals was 11.7%. Of the total number of cases, state health officials reported that 11.6% have been attributed to individuals under the age of 19.
On Oct. 30, Jennings County posted a new single-day high of 18 cases. A total of 8,358 total tests had been administered through Sunday (4,747 unique individuals).
The state’s COVID-19 student dashboard showed Monday that JCHS has reported fewer than five students that have tested positive for the virus. On Sept. 11, the JCHS Facebook page posted that a student on the volleyball team had tested positive for coronavirus.
Pam Petry, health nurse with the Jennings County Health Department, said that the school had a joint discussion with the health department on its decision to move to virtual learning. She said that the recent spike in COVID-19 in the county played a role in the decision, but did not say how many individuals within the school tested positive for the virus.
Brown did not return calls seeking additional information about the shutdown on Monday.
{span class=”d2edcug0 hpfvmrgz qv66sw1b c1et5uql rrkovp55 a8c37x1j keod5gw0 nxhoafnm aigsh9s9 d3f4x2em fe6kdd0r mau55g9w c8b282yb iv3no6db jq4qci2q a3bd9o3v knj5qynh oo9gr5id hzawbc8m” dir=”auto”}Those experiencing technology issues during virtual learning are encouraged to contact the JCSC Technology Hotline at 812-352-1921. Any other questions or concerns can be directed to the JCHS main office at 812-346-5588, according to the social media post.{/span}
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Jennings County High School has moved to virtual learning until Nov. 16.
Visit the school’s JCHS Facebook page to read Monday’s press release.
The Indiana State Department of Health’s COVID-19 dashboard, which is updated daily at noon, can be accessed at www.coronavirus.in.gov.
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