BREAKING: All Indiana Schools Will Close For The Remainder of the School Year

 #NEW INFORMATION:  Indiana School Superintendent Jennifer McCormick has announced all schools in the Hoosier State will remain closed through the rest of the school year. 

  “Students are the future of our state and teachers are the heart of our schools,” Gov. Holcomb said. “While COVID-19 is impacting every classroom, our teachers, administrators, school board members and school staff are going to extraordinary levels to deliver quality learning to students all across our state, even while school buildings are closed. We’ll continue to do everything we can to empower educators and parents, while protecting students’ health.”

To complete the school year, all schools previously received a 20-day waiver to reduce the number of required in-person or remote instruction days to 160. Schools must continue to provide instruction via remote learning until they complete either:

·      160 instructional days or

·         At least 20 additional days of remote learning between the date of the executive order (today) and the end of the school year. If a school completes 20 days and falls short of the required 160 instructional days, the Indiana Department of Education (IDOE) can waive the difference.

All K-12 schools will need to submit a plan for review and approval by IDOE by April 17. The plan can include eLearning, extended learning, project-based or portfolio learning, competency-based learning, partnerships with higher education for increased student supports, and other similar methods.

The governor, in conjunction with Superintendent of Public Instruction Dr. Jennifer McCormick, also directed the Indiana State Board of Education (SBOE) to provide flexibility for school corporations for students who are to graduate in 2020. A school corporation may issue an Indiana diploma to a student who has done all of the following:

·         Has met all of the course and credit requirements for the specific diploma designation based on a combination of high school credits earned prior to and the course in which a student was enrolled as of March 19, when the governor issued the statewide school closure.

·         Meets any virtual or remote learning participation requirements established by the governing body of the local school corporation in response to the statewide school closure order issued by the governor.

·         Meets any additional graduation requirements established by the governing body of the local school corporation prior to the school closure order issued by the governor.

The executive order also extends teacher licenses expiring between March 1, 2020 and Aug. 31, 2020 until Sept. 1, 2020.

Other deadlines and requirements for the current school year will be reviewed by Dr. McCormick, the executive director of SBOE, and relevant state agencies. They will submit recommendations to the Governor by April 7 for review and further action.

Click here to download public service announcements (PSAs) recorded by the state for your use: https://www.dropbox.com/sh/egf210ognxxyx4h/AADYd7E-tBn7P6gtiLSZUiVBa?dl=0

More information may be found at the ISDH website at coronavirus.in.gov and the CDC website at https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/index.html.

STATEWIDE -- Indiana School Superintendent Jennifer McCormick has announced all schools in the Hoosier State will remain closed through the rest of the school year.

The announcement was made Thursday afternoon during a daily news conference with Gov. Holcomb and other state officials.

McCormick says all Hoosier students will finish out the school year virtually.  School buildings will be closed, unless it is being used for an emergency purpose.

Introducing McCormick, Gov. Holcomb said the last thing we want to do is kid ourselves about our kids' health and safety.  Later in the news conference, the governor says the virus is "spreading at a scale and pace that is unprecedented."  

School officials say local schools will reach out to parents to "provide further direction" on how to proceed with your student's education. 

Schools must complete 160 total instruction days OR "at least 20 more days of remote learning from now to the end of the school year." She says if seniors have earned credits through 7 semesters, and are enrolled in classes this semester, they will be recognized as a 2020 graduate.

McCormick says short-term use of virtual learning looks a lot different than what it will look like in the long-term.  She says 85% of school districts in Indiana have some sort of e-learning management system.

This story is breaking.  Check back for more information.

STATEWIDE -- The number of coronavirus infections in Indiana continues to rise. 

A total of 3,039 Hoosiers have now tested positive for the virus, according to the Indiana State Department of Health. 

Marion County has the highest number of infections, with 1,304. A total of 16,285 Hoosiers have been tested for coronavirus. 78 people in Indiana have died from the virus. A majority of those people were over the age of 60, according to ISDH. 

More information about coronavirus in Indiana is available at coronavirus.in.gov.