Local schools will be able to continue their athletic and other extra-curricular programs after action Wednesday by the Fishers Board of Health.  The games and activities can go on, but the people at the events will be limited to one parent, support staff and players.  The Fishers Health Department had originally recommended that all school extra-curricular activities be cancelled.  The Board of Health decided instead to go with the state’s guidance for counties in red risk category, even though Hamilton County is a notch below that with an orange designation.

The board voted to keep the original recommendation intact for social gatherings, with a limit of 10 people inside and 25 people outside.

Restaurants in Fishers will be limited to 8 customers per table with 6-feet of separation between groups.  There will be no bar seating and no more than 2 people waiting in the lobby at one time.

Businesses generally in Fishers will be required to post signs telling customers that masks are required.  The Fishers Health Department says it will rely on the public to report violations.

City Attorney Chris Griesl will work with the Health Department to write the public health order, which should be available Monday and effective Wednesday.  The board will review the public health order in late November or early December.

Mayor Scott Fadness said the capacity for the free COVID-19 testing program will be expanded by 100 per day.

Below is a City of Fishers news release with more details:

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The Fishers Health Department’s Board of Health met today to approve a final determination for the Community Risk Rating recommendation revisions and updated Public Health Orders.

As a result of the Board’s action, the following Public Health Order will go into effect Wednesday, November 18.

Extracurricular and Sporting Activities: indoor K-12 extracurricular and co-curricular activities, including IHSAA sport events

• Groups/Teams must submit a COVID-19 mitigation plan to FHD for approval
• Follow Governor’s Order, in Red category, with attendance limited to parents, support staff, and players/participants only

Social Gatherings: a social gathering is an event, assembly, or convening that brings together multiple people, individually or from separate households, in a single location, whether held indoors or outdoors, in a private residence, commercial venue, or other public place, at the same time and in a coordinated fashion where a significant purpose is to interact with others – such as a wedding reception, funeral visitation, family reunion, party, barbeque, picnic, or club meeting

• Limited to 10 people max inside and 25 people max outside.

Special Events: an assembly or convening of multiple individuals from separate households in a single space, indoors, or outdoors, at the same time but where the main purpose is not necessarily for individuals to interact with other outside of one’s household but to engage in or attend a business/commercial function, single event, or events of limited duration – such as conference, conventions, sport or racing competitions, extracurricular school events, concerts, shows, fairs, festivals, carnivals, parades, graduation ceremonies, community holiday celebrations, fundraisers, or other entertainment events. 

• Must have approval for events more than 25 people.

Restaurants

• Masks shall be worn at all times while indoors except when eating or drinking.
• All patrons or group parties must be at least six (6) feet away from people at other tables.  Party size must be limited to eight (8) people or fewer at each table. Table service is required for indoor dining or drink service.
• No bar-top seating is permitted. Tables within a bar area may be open for table service. Customers must remain seated and congregation is not permitted.
• No more than two (2) persons may wait in the lobby for a table unless social distancing can be accommodated.
• All self-service beverage or food stations offering food items not prepackaged shall be closed.

Business

• Must follow State Order to post signs telling visitors to wear masks

Additionally, the Fishers Health Department signed an extension to the Fishers mask mandate for 30 days.

The Public Health Order will sunset on December 10.

It all started in late October.  I began to notice symptoms associated with the flu or a very bad cold.  I felt a low-grade fever, muscle aches and chest congestion.  I had a flu shot, but that doesn’t protect one from every strain.

After about three days of this, I contacted my doctor.  She recommended a COVID-19 test where I had the results the same day.  I tested positive.

My wife took the same test the following day and the results were negative.  We remained in the same household following guidelines from the CDC and thankfully Jane remains healthy through all this.

When one is my age, the test results were of great concern.  I am in a very high-risk category.

My physician was great through this ordeal.  We e-mailed every other day and she affirmed everything I was doing to take care of myself as the best I could do.

Once the flu-like symptoms went away, I went through a phase for several days where I had no energy at all.  I slept well at night, but when in my easy chair, I fell asleep during the day.  The virus sucked all the energy from me.

I won’t sugar-coat this, it was hard.  But I still count my lucky stars.  God was with me, because there was no problem with my breathing or oxygen levels.

After nearly two weeks, I felt fully recovered.  Once out of quarantine, I was able to go about my affairs feeling well.  For that, I am very thankful.

I am also thankful for the many friends and relatives that checked-in with me on how I was doing.  All your prayers and good wishes were appreciated and contributed to my recovery.

I found two other accounts of novel coronavirus hitting people.  Fishers City Councilman David George went on social media to describe his ordeal.  David, it is good to know you have recovered fully.

Then I saw the account of WTHR Investigative Reporter Bob Segall.  If you want to know more about how he handled the virus, use this link.  Bob, it is good to know you are recovered as well.

What continues to confound me is this – I was as careful as I could be in social distancing, wearing a mask and keeping my hands clean.  I still caught the virus.

My message to everyone is to take personal responsibility.  Follow the guidance of the public health professionals.  Think about what you do, even in your own home.

I know I will be redoubling my efforts to stay safe and would urge you to do the same.

COVID-19 is spreading everywhere and Fishers is no exception.  The infection rate will only go down based on what we all do.  Let’s all do this together.

The 126th Street and State Road 37 project is slated to be complete in November, but the latest update from the city does not provide a date as to when 126th Street will reopen to east-west traffic in that location.

The road construction list is much shorter as we enter the winter months.  Here is the update for the coming week as provided by the City of Fishers:

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STATE ROAD 37 AND 126TH STREET 
126th Street east of SR 37 is currently closed and is anticipated to reopen in November. During this time, cross access will be restricted, with only right in and right out for southbound traffic only. Northbound SR 37 traffic will not have access to 126th Street. Two lanes will remain in each direction. Local access to businesses will remain open. Detour route markers and advance warning signs will be in place prior to the closure. View the detour map here.

STATE ROAD 37 AND 146TH STREET
All left-turn lanes are currently restricted on SR 37 and on 146th Street with traffic moved to the interior lanes.  Through traffic and right turns on SR 37 and 146th Street will remain open. This phase is anticipated to be completed by the end of November. Drivers are encouraged to seek alternate routes for all left turn access. View an alternate route map here.

Please drive with caution through this area. To learn more about the State Road 37 Improvement Project and sign up to receive text updates, visit 37Thrives.com.

96TH STREET 
There will be daily lane closures for signal work the week of November 16 on 96th Street east of I-69 as part of the resurfacing and median island project. Please use caution while driving through this area. Check out the project fact sheet to learn more.

Currently grading and paving and crossing improvements are taking place on the Nickel Plate Trail between 126th Street and 131st Street and is anticipated to be completed in November.

Wednesday’s Hamilton Southeastern (HSE) School Board meeting highlighted the staffing challenges the school district is facing in the age of the novel coronavirus.  Superintendent Allen Bourff sent a Twitter message Thursday letting parents know students would be bringing their technology home in anticipation of a possible all-virtual day Friday.

So, Friday the 13th will be a virtual education day for all HSE students, based on a Skylert message sent to parents.

Below is the text of the Skylert message:

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It has been our goal since the beginning of this pandemic to educate our students, while protecting the health and safety of our entire school community. We believe that our schools are safe places to learn, but at this time, we have a large number of staff members out and not enough sub coverage to provide for all 22 schools.

Not all reported absences are related to positive COVID tests, some may be from contact tracing, COVID-related symptoms or other personal reasons. This has led us to make the decision to have a Virtual Instruction day for students, preschool through grade 12, on Friday, November 13. All Students will follow their daily class schedule and teachers will communicate assignments, lessons and other needs via Zoom.  Families can access information as they normally would on Canvas.

• PreK – Teachers will communicate the schedule at the normal start time.
• K-4 – Teachers will begin the day with an all class Zoom at 9:00 AM.
• 5-6 – Teachers will begin the day with an all class Zoom at 8:30 AM
• 7-8 – Students will follow their normal Friday schedule.
• 9-12 – Students will follow their normal Friday schedule.

For families in need of childcare, the Fishers YMCA will be offering an all-day childcare option at Riverside Intermediate from 6:30am to 6:00pm. 

We anticipate our staffing shortages will be resolved by Monday, November 16 under the new Operations Plan, which is in effect until Winter Break (December 18).

• Grades PreK-4 will be 100% In-person.
• Grades 5-6 will be Hybrid (50/50).
• Grades 7-12 will go 100% Virtual.

Should you be interested in substituting in a classroom during this time, please click here to access an application.  Please remember these plans are fluid and may change at any time. Also, we encourage you to follow all health and safety guidelines as recommended by our Fishers Health Department to help slow the spread because #EveryActionCounts. 

The novel coronavirus is changing most of our lives, but school systems are presented with very specific challenges.  Brooke Lawson coordinates the mental health and counseling programs for HSE Schools.  She talks with me about some of those challenges in this podcast.

Hamilton Southeastern (HSE) Schools took a hit in this school year’s enrollment, losing about 400 students compared to the previous year.  District Chief Financial Officer Cecilie Nunn told the school board Wednesday night that school systems throughout the state are seeing the same reductions in student population, likely related to the novel coronavirus.

The state funds local school corporations based on the number of students enrolled, so with fewer students, HSE Schools will be facing a $5 million budget deficit.  In an effort to deal with this, administrators are forming a task force to make recommendations for the board.  The members of that task force can be found at this link.

The task force will look for actions to reduce the funding deficit for the 2021-2022 school year.  The guiding principles for the group are to look at all programs and how they are delivered, look at innovative ways to deliver the programs and conduct any required staff reduction-in- force through attrition.

The group is scheduled to have its report to the school superintendent by late February and the board will see the recommendations in early March, 2021, with action projected by the end of March.

In other school board news from Wednesday night:

–The board had a preliminary discussion on naming the new elementary school in the works for Wayne Township.  Board President Michelle Fullhart suggested naming the building “Deer Creek Elementary.”  The board discussed how to move forward and no decision was made.

–Superintendent Allen Bourff says graduation ceremonies are already being planned, but admitted uncertainty about the COVID-19 situation makes such planning difficult.  Administrators will be looking at all the options.

Student class start times will change in the coming school year based on a vote Wednesday night by the Hamilton Southeastern (HSE) School Board.  The schedule is the same that was recommended by the committee and revealed publicly at the previous board meeting.

The vote was 5-2, with board members Amanda Shera and Sylvia Shepler voting no.

The new class start times will begin in the 2021-2022 school year.

Junior High and High School students in the Hamilton Southeastern (HSE) School District will be on an all-virtual class schedule beginning Monday, November 16 at least through December 18, when Christmas Break begins the next day.  Grades K-4 (including pre-school) will remain in-person, while grades 5 & 6 will stay on a hybrid schedule with 50% of the time in the classroom.

The vote by the board was unanimous.  It is a reaction to an increase in COVID-19 positive cases in the Fishers area and Hamilton County.

Administrators told the board staffing has been a challenge.  All classrooms have been staffed, but it has been difficult with teachers giving up preparation periods and others, such as principals, deans and counselors, filling-in .

Superintendent Allen Bourff said only 4.1% of the positive cases within the school district came from school activities.  According to Bourff, there have been 245 positive cases in the school system and 2,263 instances of close contacts requiring quarantine.

The Fishers City Board of Health is scheduled to vote on a series of recommendations in response to the increase in COVID-19 cases locally.  They include doing away with school extra-curricular activities, including athletics.  It would also call for mask wearing the entire school day, with no breaks.  That Board of Health vote is expected at a meeting set for Friday at 4pm.

When The City of Fishers announced the Veterans Day celebration, set for outside at the Nickel Plate Amphitheater, had been switched to a virtual event Wednesday morning, I knew something was up on the COVID-19 front.  Then the word came down that the Fishers Health Department had increased the risk level to Level 4, Red, the highest risk level.

That was the subject of discussion at the Fishers Board of Health meeting Tuesday night.  The board took no action, but will mull over specific recommendations presented by the Health Department and meet again Friday at 4pm to consider taking action.

The recommendations for action would limit indoor gatherings outside a personal residence to no more than 10 people, and that requires wearing masks, social distancing and washing hands.  For outside activities, the limit would be 25 people with the same mitigation requirements as indoor events.

Special events would require a plan subject to approval by the Fishers Health Department.

The recommendations include eliminating school extra-curricular activities, in an effort to preserve in-person classes.  This would include athletics.

Mayor Scott Fadness, presiding over the Board of Health meeting, says the public may make comments on the recommendations before the board takes a vote on any actions Friday.

The board asked the Board of Health staff to look into guidelines for businesses other than restaurants and retail food outlets as part of the recommendations.

Here is a part of the Tuesday night meeting where City Attorney Chris Greisl reviews the details of the recommendations, followed by a discussion with Mayor Fadness and Monica Heltz of the Health Department.  Below that is the city news release with more details on Tuesday night’s Board of Health meeting.

At the Tuesday Fishers Board of Health meeting, Monica Heltz, Public Health Director, presented findings to the recent increase in COVID-19 cases experienced in Fishers.

As part of the proposed recommendations, Heltz outlined several key areas:

• Social gatherings are a primary source of spread according to reporting from contact tracers
• COVID-19 infection is widespread across the Fishers community with no one concentrated area.
• All ages appear to be equally affected
• Strong indication that schools remain a safe space for students in terms of case-to-case transmission

These key findings informed the following proposals that will undergo consideration for adoption during Friday’s scheduled Board of Health meeting.

Recommendations

• Avoid gatherings in homes, workplaces, churches
• Stay at home except for essential services (i.e. school, work, healthcare, and groceries)
• Utilize curbside delivery, carryout services and/or home delivery
• Work from home if possible
• Increase sanitation protocols
• Gyms and retail establishments should have special hours for high-risk individuals
• Mask up; distance; sanitize

• 5 Core requirements for Orange and Red
• All school-sponsored extracurriculars canceled in Red
• Enforcement via environmental inspections by FHD
• One case in a class quarantines the entire class

Public Health Order

• Cancellation of school-sponsored extracurricular activities

• No bar seating – patrons must sit at designated tables
• No more than 8 people at a table
• Masks must be worn at restaurants until food arrives, however can be temporarily removed for drinking beverages before food arrives

• Confined entertainment spaces: No more than 8 in group

• Indoors: 10 maximum
• Outdoors: 25 maximum
• 1 spectator per participant at sporting events

Mask Mandate Modification

In addition to the potential implementation of the public health orders, the Fishers Health Department asks all residents to make Every Action Count. Every Action Counts in the fight against COVID-19. We’re counting on you to make a difference. Every time you wear your mask. Every time you attend virtual meetings. And every time you keep your distance—your choices help keep everyone healthy.

• Wear a mask
• Distance
• Sanitize
• No outside visitors to your household

Once the 2020 general election votes were counted by the Hamilton County Election office in the Hamilton Southeastern (HSE) School Board election, only 22 votes separated two candidates in the Delaware Township at-large race.  The vote count shows Sarah Donsbach was the winner over incumbent Amanda Shera by a narrow margin of .05% of the votes cast.  So the question is, will there be a recount?

Indiana law does not provide for automatic recounts, but a candidate may request a recount no later than 14 days after the election.  Hamilton County Clerk Kathy Williams says the county election office will certify the election numbers this coming Friday, November 13th.  That total will account for provisional ballots, as well as the unsigned and mismatched signature ballots.   The numbers could change after that process, providing a smaller or larger margin to recount.

If Ms. Shera wishes to request a recount, she must file with one of the Hamilton County courts and post a bond, along with additional fees, depending on the number of precincts to be recounted.  The judge would then appoint a recount commission to conduct the counting.  Any recount must be completed no later than December 20th.