In a unanimous vote, the HSE District School Board voted on a return to in-person education on Wednesday night’s meeting. Students will return in-person on Jan. 19 following Martin Luther King Jr. Day.

“School Year 2020-21 began in a 100% virtual mode with the intent of transitioning through a hybrid or 50/50 attendance schedule to a 100% in-person schedule,” according to the updated district operation plan. “Adjustments became necessary due to spikes in student and staff positive cases and the associated attendance problems. November 2020 saw a return to 100% virtual attendance design, and by HSE School Board mandate, was to exist until January 15, 2021.”

The plan for return includes grades K-6 returning to 100% in-person with grades 7-12 returning on a hybrid 50/50 schedule. Students alphabetically listed A-K will once again be in the Red Group and will attend in-person on Mondays and Tuesdays. The Blue Group will consist of students L-Z.

The major change to the schedule is that Fridays will serve as eLearning days for the remainder of the semester. These days will not include scheduled virtual classes, but are encouraged to be used as opportunities for teachers and students to work on missed gaps in learning, similar to the role of Tiered Intervention. 

“By 9:00 a.m. each Friday, students will be able to access the teacher’s plan(s) and/or assignments through Canvas,” according to the updated district operation plan. “In addition to any independent work posted in Canvas, some students can expect to have live small group support.”

Staff and students will be expected to wear masks at all times. Individuals who display symptoms of COVID-19 will be sent home, contact tracing procedures will still be in place and schools will employ “enhanced cleaning” of “high-touch surfaces”, such as desks, chairs, tables, equipment, etc. Decisions were made by the HSE School District with consultation from the Fishers Health Department.