INDIANAPOLIS — Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb and other officials extended changes to slow the spread of COVID-19 including closing schools around the state until May 1.
In a press conference in Indianapolis, Holcomb issued several executive orders on Thursday, including directing all K-12 schools in the state to remain closed until May 1 and canceling all academic testing for rest of the school year.
Holcomb also extended filing and payment deadlines for state income taxes and announced a temporary suspension of late fees for property taxes, among other directives.
The executive orders came as state health officials reported 17 new cases of COVID-19 in Indiana on Thursday, raising the statewide total to 56. No new cases of COVID-19 have been confirmed in Bartholomew County. The death toll remains at two for Indiana.
State officials also reported a surge of unemployment claims filed by Indiana residents this week. During Holcomb’s press conference, he told reporters that this same week last year, around 3,100 Indiana residents filed unemployment claims. In just three days this week, 22,583 Indiana residents filed unemployment claims, the governor said..
Talking about the school situation, Holcomb said a May 1 return to class was not a guarantee.
“As we get nearer to May 1, we may have to close permanently, but we’ll make that call down the road,” Holcomb said. “…Lastly, if, and I stress ‘if,’ by some miracle we get students back this year, we’ll use that time in class for instruction, not cramming for tests. So I’m cancelling Indiana’s student assessments for this school year.”
The Bartholomew Consolidated School Corp., currently on spring break, had previously decided to suspend all school-related activities, including all athletic practices, and closed all schools with eLearning days being used from March 23 to April 3. Students were asked to take their laptops home when they left for spring break.
Flat Rock-Hawcreek School Corp., also on spring break, had previously announced similar measures through April 5.
The assessments that will be canceled this school year include IREAD-3, IREAD test takers for grades 4 and 5, ILEARN for grades 3 through 8, ISTEP for grade 10, among others, said Jennifer McCormick, Indiana’s superintendent of public instruction, during Thursday’s press conference.
McCormick said she will be working with school districts across the state to make sure high school seniors can earn the remaining credits they need to graduate.
Holcomb also has asked McCormick to pursue any federal waivers needed to cancel the requirements for accountability, chronic absenteeism and state-mandate assessments.
“This is the first step,” McCormick said. “There may be a need to come back and revisit that for the extended school year based upon the dynamics of the situation.”
Additionally, Holcomb said the Indian Department of Revenue will extend the deadline to file and pay state income tax and suspend penalties for late property tax payments for 60 days.
The new deadline to file and pay state income tax is now July 15, Holcomb said. Property taxes are still due May 11, but penalties for late property tax payments will be suspended for 60 days.
Other directives announced by the governor on Thursday include:
Eviction and foreclosure actions or proceedings involving residential real estate properties have been temporarily halted for the duration of the public health emergency declared in Indiana due to the COVID-19 outbreak
The Indiana Bureau of Motor Vehicles will extend deadlines and suspend late fees for renewals of driver’s licenses or identification cards, vehicle registration renewals, title transactions, salvage titles and off-road vehicle and snowmobile titles
Public meetings should be limited to only essential matters critical to the operations of the governmental agency or entity for the duration of the public health emergency. All statutory deadlines that require a governing body to meet during the emergency are suspended as long as the cancellation of meetings do not disrupt essential government decisions or services
The Indiana Depart of Veteran’s Affairs will allow veterans to qualify for awards from the Military Family Relief Fund for basic needs such as food, rent, mortgage and utilities even if the veteran does not satisfy certain requirements, including stipulations that the veteran’s hardship be connected to his or her military service and the veteran served during a national conflict or war
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For more on the Indiana Department of Education’s work with local school districts, and additional resources and information about remote learning, visit doe.in.gov/safety/health/covid-19-resources-indiana-schools.
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