Seymour Community School Corp. has decided to take advantage of state-approved waiver days so it doesn’t have to make up days missed because of the COVID-19 pandemic health crisis.
The school board of trustees met Wednesday — some participating via teleconference — and voted to modify the school calendar to waive two days a week, Mondays and Fridays, beginning today through May 8. The waivers mean there is no school those days.
Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays will be required eLearning days for students, teachers and instructional assistants.
Superintendent Brandon Harpe said it is the same schedule being used by other school corporations in the area, including Bartholomew Consolidated, Brownstown Central and Medora.
“This will allow our teachers to have time to assess and plan quality lessons,” Harpe said. “It will also get more people off the roads, per the governor’s order.”
Curbside meal pickup is being reduced to two days — 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Mondays and Wednesdays — at the same sites: The bus lobby entrance at Seymour High School, Door 1 at Seymour Middle School, the cafeteria entrance at the Seymour Middle School Sixth Grade Center, Door 11 at Margaret R. Brown Elementary School, Door 1 at Seymour-Redding Elementary School and Door 1 at Cortland Elementary School.
On Mondays, families will be able to take two days worth of meals per child, and on Wednesdays, three days of meals for a total of five days.
After May 8, the district plans to use waiver days until the end of the school year. Gov. Eric Holcomb announced earlier this month the state would allow all schools to waive up to 20 days to help prevent the spread of COVID-19.
Should schools be allowed to reopen this school year, SCSC will go back to its original calendar, Harpe said.
The board also adopted a resolution authorizing Harpe to take necessary measures to assist employees impacted by the COVID-19 closure. The resolution was written by the Indiana School Boards Association.
All employees will be receiving two waiver timecards by mail that must be signed and returned immediately to the corporation in the envelope provided for employees to get paid during the closure.
Knowing substitute employees, including teachers, bus drivers, kitchen workers and custodians, are being impacted, too, the board approved to pay stipends based on the average time the employee worked from Aug. 1, 2019, to March 13. Those payments will be made April 10 and 24, May 8 and 22 and June 5. The payments will stop if school resumes prior to May 21.
“This gives us a plan to pay all employee groups — certified, classified and substitutes,” Harpe said.
In another effort to prevent the spread of COVID-19, trustees voted to close out-of-district student transfers for the rest of the school year, meaning students must live in the SCSC district to attend school here.
“We are hearing about a lot of mobility around the state and possibly folks trying to take advantage of some loopholes, so we closed it,” Harpe said of transfers. “We are still open for those who physically move into our district.”
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Revised Seymour Community School Corp. calendar beginning today through May 8
Mondays and Fridays: No school, state waiver days
Tuesdays through Thursdays: eLearning days
May 11 through 19: No school, state waiver days
May 20 and 21: No school, makeup days
May 22: No school, last day for teachers
Should schools be allowed to reopen, the corporation will go back to its original calendar.
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