Families could have a better idea this month of what a more normal school year looks like.
With vaccine availability expanding, educators are planning now for a start of school this fall that could bring some relaxed coronavirus mitigation strategies and more steady in-person instructional time.
School leaders say they plan to stick closely to forthcoming guidance from state health and education officials that could shed light on school masking policies, virtual learning alternatives and whether coronavirus vaccines will someday become required for students.
In March, Gov. Eric Holcomb said he would extend mask requirements in schools through the end of the 2020-21 year. Dr. Kristina Box, the stateâs health commissioner, said in a news conference this week that guidance for summer and fall sessions would be coming âsoon.â
Teachers Tammie Hagedorn, left, and Jill Satterfield work together to install cardboard dividers, with plastic windows, at every desk in a fourth-grade classroom at Swanson Elementary School on Tuesday in South Bend. The district is ramping up coronavirus safety features as it readies for more students to return to classrooms.
Tribune Photo/ROBERT FRANKLIN