When the community is divided, the elected school board is sometimes also divided.  Thursday morning, the Hamilton Southeastern School Board voted 4-3 to begin 100% in-person classes for grades up to the 4th beginning October 5th.  There will be online virtual classes for those parents choosing that option.

The division on the board was not about whether to return to in-person learning, it was a debate about which date, with some board members advocating for October 12 or 15 as the start date.

Board members Sylvia Shepler, Amanda Shera, Janet Pritchett and Clint Wilson voted for the measure.  Michelle Fullhart, Brad Boyer and Julie Chambers voted against it.

Brad Boyer asked Superintendent Allen Bourff whether social distancing can continue to be observed with school buildings at or near 100% capacity, compared to the hybrid system’s 50%.  Bourff responded that there are no guarantees but staff will enforce distancing to the extent possible.  Dr. Bourff also said the wearing of masks becomes even more important as all students return to classrooms.

Julie Chambers asked whether there will be enough staffing to handle all the classrooms, and Bourff responded that administrators will be “hard-pressed” to keep all the classrooms open.  Administrators told the board they would need to be creative in keeping classrooms staffed, but so far have not resorted to combining classes.

Chambers asked about all-virtual students, and wanted to know whether virtual students were getting the same attention as those physically in the classroom.  Bourff indicated teachers are nervous about handling virtual students while also teaching those in the classroom.  A group of parents representing all-virtual students will be meeting with Dr. Bourff next week.

The Thursday morning session was billed as a special meeting.  The next regularly scheduled school board meeting is set for Wednesday, and the possibility of setting a date to return students grades 5-12 100% in classrooms will likely be discussed and possibly considered, based on the discussions held Thursday morning.