schools

The Indiana Department of Health reported 345 additional confirmed deaths over the last week. That brings the state’s total to 11,746 confirmed deaths. The state also reported just more than 9,000 new cases in the last week – the fewest weekly reported total since early October.

The Michigan Legislature can put money in the state budget for religious schools and other non-public schools without violating the Michigan Constitution. The decision from the Michigan Supreme Court says non-public schools can be reimbursed for the costs of complying with state health and safety mandates. The court split three-to-three on the question with one justice abstaining. That effectively upholds a decision from the Michigan Court of Appeals. 

The Indiana State Teachers Association is calling on the governor and schools to take more action as schools have reported more than 15,000 COVID-19 cases. 

The South Bend Community School Corporation has announced that two schools will now be online only until after Thanksgiving due to large numbers of staff having to quarantine. The schools impacted are Lincoln Elementary and the Dickinson Fine Arts Academy.

LANSING, Mich. (AP) — A Michigan Education Association survey finds a majority of educators in Michigan have safety concerns and don’t believe their schools will be able to return to in-person learning in January. It found 74% of educators prefer some level of virtual learning for now. Almost half of the 47,040 educators who responded to the survey said they felt their concerns were not addressed in their school district’s plans for reopening or virtual learning. The state teachers' union wants to see this change and get teachers more involved in the decision making.

Today Goshen Community Schools released a video designed to explain the plight of educators during the pandemic. The video is entitled 'I'm Just A Teacher.' You can watch it below. 

Voters approved the Bremen Public Schools referendum with about 75% voting yes. 

 But the Wawasee Community Schools referendum failed with about two-thirds of voters rejectingthe measure.

The Indiana State Board of Education has released 2020 school accountability grades, but they don't reflect the most recent data about what's happening in schools – largely because there isn't enough or the state can't use it.

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — A new county-by-county rating of coronavirus risk that Indiana health officials say is aimed at helping school districts decide whether to keep students in classrooms is being met with reticence from some school leaders. The color-coded system that is slated for public release Wednesday assigns scores to counties based on the number of new COVID-19 infections and local positivity rates. The new system comes a month after schools across the state began resuming in-person classes.

LANSING, Mich. (AP) — Michigan has crossed the threshold of 100,000 cases of the coronavirus confirmed since March. The state health department says deaths related to COVID-19 reached 6,446 after six more were recorded Friday. Most people recover from the virus. But for older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause pneumonia and lead to death. Meanwhile, the state Education Department says 86% of public school districts are offering in-person instruction for the new year, even if it’s just two to three days per week.

The Indiana State Department of Health will launch a map – color-coded based on COVID-19 metrics – that can help guide decision-making at local schools and governments.

Indiana will soon send a total of $61 million to Hoosier schools to help them with their technology needs during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Via a Facebook post, the Elkhart Co. Health Dept. has announced another twist in the school reopening plan. The latest information is that schools *can* now choose to open for in-person instruction. This comes one day after the county's superintendents took part in a conference call with the county's health officer and were given the impression that they needed to move to online instruction only through September. 

Indiana officials say the state will soon begin shipping personal protective equipment to Hoosier schools as they prepare to reopen to in-person classes.

The Senate Health Committee discusses plans for reopening schools and offices that have been shuttered by the deadly coronavirus pandemic. The hearing is expected to start at 10am.