North Montgomery and Southmont schools announced Friday they will bring all hybrid-model students to full in-person instruction beginning Sept. 28.
The move comes on the heels of Crawfordsville Schools’ decision to do the same, as announced and voted upon Thursday during a public meeting where input both for and against the decision was heard.
The Journal Review learned of North’s and South’s decision to abandon the hybrid model, comprised of students physically attending class on an every-other-day basis, through the districts’ social media accounts Friday.
The three Montgomery County school districts collaborated on the re-entry plan, which was approved by the Montgomery County Health Department.
Southmont Superintendent Dr. Shawn Greiner said he and fellow administrators, teachers and staff have been working to reunite students with campus for some time and have been working diligently to accomplish that goal.
“We are thrilled to take this next step in welcoming back our students,” he said. “We have appreciated the flexibility of our families and will continue to balance safety and the welfare of our students through our collaboration with the health department, staff and families.”
Dr. Colleen Moran, superintendent of North Montgomery Schools, said the decision was not made lightly.
“We are looking forward to having all students return,” she said. “Our students have been amazing by complying with masks and distancing, so we are optimistic that when all students return, they will continue adapting to new procedures.”
Both Greiner and Moran listed reasons for the move in letters to parents Friday morning. Reasons included a decrease in COVID-19-related hospitalizations around the state, low incidence and positivity rates and minimal spread in Montgomery County.
All reasons were based on metrics provided by the Indiana Department of Education in conjunction with the Indiana State Department of Health.
“Our goal over the past several months has been to strategically return to normal school operations in a safe manner while continuing to monitor current trends and recommendations,” the letter to Southmont families read. “Southmont Schools’ efforts have been successful so far, as we continue to progress in the evolution of our re-entry procedures.”
Students and their families within the two districts will have one more week of the hybrid attendance model before returning to campus Sept. 28.
