It’s been quite a week. Like Indiana weather, in the season of COVID-19, things can change quickly, and they did. With the increase is COVID-19 cases in Tipton County, it was elevated to orange with metrics indicating a higher risk of transmission of the coronavirus locally. In addition, the number of staff impacted by COVID-related factors this week necessitated a shift to E-Learning. All TCSC students will return from eLearning on Monday, November 30.
Our buildings are eerily quiet today and we miss our students, but we know these steps are necessary. We also know the heart of the school experience is the exchange of ideas and level of learning that occurs in our classrooms and throughout our campus every day. We are disrupting this process only to keep our Tipton community safe.
As a reminder, our ability to keep our schools open is dependent on our families and the entire community strictly adhering to the recommendations and guidelines from the Tipton County Health Department, Indiana State Department of Health, and the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention. If the absence rate reaches 20% in any building, the entire student body of that building will temporarily transition to E-Learning. This is a part of our strategy to reduce the transmission of COVID-19 or the flu on our campus. For those times that we must shift a class or a building to E-Learning, we have an effective process to do so. Students will access school work through Google Classroom and teachers will continue to provide meaningful, impactful lessons.
In all likelihood, we expect to continue to pivot from in-person to E-Learning as circumstances dictate throughout the remainder of the school year. We are prepared and looking at some additional support we can provide for working parents in the event of further extended eLearning events. We encourage our families to be prepared as well. Preparation and working together will be key in meeting our education and learning objectives for our students.
We know that this temporary transition in our school community adds additional stress to an already difficult situation. We will continue to take all necessary and recommended steps to protect the health of our students, school personnel, and the greater Tipton community. We appreciate our families continued support and are working closely with us on this effort.
Tonight offers up a little ray of sunshine with the Blue Devil’s taking on Fort Wayne Bishop Luers in the Class 2A football regionals. Good luck! #TiptonPride
