The South Bend Community School Corporation approved a return to an in-person learning option at its board meeting Monday night. All schools will phase in offering in-person classes as an option. Students who choose to attend in person will start back on staggered dates from Oct. 5 to Oct. 15.
All students, Pre-K through 12th grade, who choose to attend in-person will follow a hybrid learning schedule, attending school based on their last name. On Mondays and Tuesdays, the first half of the alphabet will be in-person and the second half will be online. On Thursdays and Fridays, this will flip. Wednesdays are reserved as an eLearning Day and an opportunity for staff to evaluate the safety of students and teachers.
According to Assistant Superintendent Rene Sanchez, there will be a dashboard posted on the school corporation’s website to track the number of positive cases in South Bend schools.
As of Monday night, the board had 9,000 responses to its survey, with 71% of respondents electing to return for the in-person option. The board’s decision is contingent on community feedback and St. Joseph County Health Department decisions.
