Montgomery County schools announced changes to their reopening plans Monday as the number of COVID-19 cases continues to rise.
The start of classes at Crawfordsville has been pushed back four days to Aug. 10, giving staff more time to prepare for the new routine, Superintendent Dr. Scott Bowling wrote in a message to parents.
While the rest of the districts still plan to return as scheduled next week, middle and high school students across the county will split their time between the classroom and distance learning.
The three districts have adopted a hybrid model where secondary-level students attend class in person every other day to limit the number of children in the buildings.
Elementary students will be in the classroom five days a week, but children at all grade levels have the option of distance learning full-time.
“There is no change in the elementary reopening plan because studies have shown that younger children do not transmit the virus as readily, and also because we know that distance learning is less effective when used with younger kids,” Bowling said in the message.
The districts said the plans were subject to change throughout the school year based on state and local recommendations.
Students taking career and technical education classes will attend those programs daily in person due to the hands-on nature of the courses and certification requirements.
State health officials added three more coronavirus-related deaths to Indiana’s pandemic total on Monday, the same day the governor’s statewide mandate for wearing face masks took effect.
The new COVID-19 fatalities occurred since Friday and pushed Indiana’s total to 2,906, including confirmed and presumed cases, since the state’s first death was recorded in mid-March, the Indiana State Department of Health said.
An additional 561 confirmed virus infections were also announced Monday by the state health department. That is the lowest total in more than two weeks, although fewer tests results are typically reported during weekends.
The Montgomery County Health Department reported two new local infections as of midnight Sunday, bringing the total to 319 since late March.
No new deaths were reported. A total of 21 Montgomery County residents have died from COVID-19, according to the health department.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
