LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- District by district, schools in Indiana are slowly reopening for in-person classes.
The state's top education official had positive words for the progress being made amid the COVID-19 pandemic during a news conference Thursday.
"It's not perfect, but it's going better than a lot of us expected it to go," said Indiana Superintendent of Public Instruction Jennifer McCormick.
McCormick says most students who have returned to class have adapted well to wearing masks, but the state has already seen a number of positive COVID-19 tests at schools.
Contact tracing has been tough because of a delay in test results.
"Contact tracing, when you are dealing with minors, is tough," McCormick said. "It is tough. Schools have tried to help with that, but I will be honest with you, it is a lot. So if we have one positive, I had one school say we had one positive and had 48 kids to track down."
Greater Clark and Lanesville school districts in southern Indiana have returned to in-person classes, and all have reported positive COVID-19 cases. Salem Community Schools has pushed back its reopening until Aug. 17 after a teacher tested positive for COVID-19.
At Greater Clark, four schools have identified COVID-19 cases among students and adults. Most recently, someone tested positive for the novel coronavirus at Charlestown Middle School on Wednesday and forced some students into a mandatory four-week quarantine.
For Lanesville, about 50 students and two teachers are in quarantine after four students at Lanesville Junior-Senior High School tested positive for COVID-19.
McCormick said 31 school corporations in Indiana started the 2020-21 school year with distance learning and that districts need to be prepared to enact virtual instruction strategies "if they have to pivot" due to COVID-19 outbreaks.
"There are some pretty good plans out there," she said. "Nothing is perfect in a pandemic. Nothing is foolproof in a pandemic. It's just impossible."
School districts should consult with local health professionals to determine when they should transition to remote learning, she said.
Copyright 2020 by WDRB Media. All rights reserved.
