SELLERSBURG, Ind. (WDRB) -- In its first year as an independent school corporation, Silver Creek Schools has decided to move its start date for students back two weeks, from July 29 to Aug. 12.
According to Superintendent Clemen Perez-Lloyd, the school board voted and approved the date change at a meeting Monday night. She said Silver Creek School Corporation needed more time to make sure the buildings were organized in a way that would allow for as much social distancing as possible and complete any indoor construction. She also said another deciding factor was that the district is still waiting on more technology devices for students who have opted for the online learning option. Those are expected to arrive the first week of August.
Perez-Lloyd said Silver Creek is offering two options for all grade levels: traditional school inside the classrooms and online learning. She said families will choose one of those options for a semester-long commitment.
"We have received an overwhelming response," Perez-Lloyd said about the virtual option for school. "We have more than 500 kids right now enrolled on our virtual (option)."
She said those 500 students make up nearly 20% of the student body. Registration for online learning has also been extended.
"We are working with our administrators to pull those kids out of their regular schedules that they had and we needed to readjust that so we can get them prepared to be virtual students," Perez-Lloyd said.
She also said the additional two weeks before class would give the district more time to hire virtual instructors.
"We are very unique," she said. "Our virtual option as well as our traditional instruction will be taught by Silver Creek educators. So the uniqueness is if parents select the virtual option, the course work will be completed on a synchronous model."
She also said virtual instructors will still be inside the buildings so they will be able to collaborate with traditional instructors.
Perez-Lloyd said teachers inside the buildings will be required to wear a mask or face shield, and it's highly recommended that students wear masks. She said the school has purchased visors with shields for kindergarten and first-grade students.
Silver Creek School Corporation is also still accepting out-of-district transfer students.
"Under these circumstances, we're just going to have to be flexible and adjustable, because at any given time, things can change and so we just need to be prepared," Perez-Lloyd said.
Silver Creek's school board gained voting powers just weeks ago on July 1. That was the official date of West Clark Community Schools dissolving and becoming two separate school corporations: Silver Creek and Borden-Henryville.
In a board meeting Monday evening, the Borden-Henryville School Corporation also decided to delay the opening of school for two weeks, making the first day back for students Aug. 12.
"In addition, the 2-week fall break in October will be used as e-learning," Interim Superintendent Sam Gardner said. "We are trying to cooperate with with other area school districts in that we have cooperative arrangements for special education, food service and vocational education hosted at the Prosser facility in New Albany. We share facilities and students."
Gardner said the two week delay will allow the board to see how COVID-19 evolves.
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