It’s time to file to run for school board positions in Washington County. 

School Board filings for all three schools began on July 22^nd and will end at noon on August 21^st.

Openings for school board:

Salem At-Large (Gibson, Jefferson, Monroe, & Washington Townships)- 4 positions

Those in the Salem district that are up for reelection are Mark “Bubba” Abbott, Ericka Garloch, Ron Haendiges, and Dustin Davidson, who was appointed to finish out former board member Steve Motsinger’s term. 

East Washington- 2 positions- Polk township and Town of Pekin

Those up for re-election in the West Washington School District are:

Madison – Aaron Dennis; Vernon – Salvatore Sama and Posey – Brian Farmer

Masks will be required at Holiday World effective Monday, July 27 following Governor Holcomb’s Executive Order 20-37 which requires the use of masks across the state of Indiana.

“From the time we developed our reopening plan, we have worked closely with the State of Indiana and our local health department for guidance on how to operate as safely as possible,” says park President Matt Eckert. “This is a natural next step, and we’re grateful for the guidance from the state.” 

Guests will be required to wear face coverings as they enter the gates, and in any indoor spaces in the park including roller coaster stations, gift shops, Pepsi Oases, and restroom buildings.

For full information and a list of locations where masks are required is available at www.holidayworld.com/2020Visit

Guests will not be required to wear their face coverings on any water rides, or in the midways as long as social distancing is possible.

In accordance with guidance from Indiana, children 7 and under will not need to wear masks in the park (though they are strongly recommended for children ages 2-7) and exceptions will be made for those with medical conditions.

“We appreciate everyone’s cooperation and understanding with this matter,” said Sabrina Jones, media manager. 

Face masks will be available for $1, but Guests are strongly encouraged to bring their own face coverings.

Indiana State Police say 29-year-old Derek Romano has been charged with killing 32-year-old Jeremiah Roberts, who was his accomplice in the 2014 murder of a pizza delivery driver.

Both were inmates at the Wabash Valley Correctional Facility in Carlisle.

Roberts, of Nacogdoches, Texas, was found unresponsive in his cell on May 3rd. He died while being taken to the hospital.

In 2015, Derek Romano pleaded guilty to killing pizza delivery driver John Sullivan the year before. A jury convicted his accomplice, Jeremiah Roberts, in December 2016. Romano was sentenced to 55 years in prison, Roberts was sentenced to 68 years.

According to court records, Romano and Roberts were both homeless and were staying in an Indianapolis shelter when they lured Sullivan in by ordering a pizza. Police found Sullivan’s body in the basement of the shelter.

After killing Sullivan, the two stole his car and drove to Wyoming, where they were arrested.

After being closed since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Orange County Historical Society Executive Committee along with the Board of Directors has announced plans to re-open the Orange County Historical Society Museum to visitors on Saturdays from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. beginning on Saturday, July 25.

Admission is free – however, donations are always welcome and appreciated. 

The museum is located in the northwest corner of the historic Paoli Town Square.

For now, the museum will only be staffed and open on Saturdays.  Other days may be added later depending on COVID-19.  

“We will be watching the situation closely as you know it is still very much a volatile situation here.  We will operate at 50% capacity and have established new protocols to provide a safe and responsible experience to visitors, staff, and our volunteers,” said Robert F. Henderson, President of the Orange County Historical Society.

Henderson said these protocols include advance registration for group tours, social distancing guidelines, and enhanced sanitizing and cleaning protocols.

“We will be asking staff and visitors alike to wear a face mask upon entering the museum and to practice social distancing throughout the building,” Henderson added. “Hand sanitizers will be available throughout the exhibit areas. We will also be asking visitors to please refrain from touching common surfaces.”

The historic Thomas Elwood Lindley House remains closed.

“We are in the process of putting some final additions in the freshened up and renovated rooms,” Henderson added. “The interior rooms will be undergoing a deep cleaning later this month. We hope to be able to open up the farmhouse at some point soon by appointment on a least on a limited basis.  The space restraints in the farmhouse present a bit of a challenge to safely be able to conduct tours with groups of any size that along with being able to properly keep common areas sanitized as recommended.”

For more details on museum operations contact Henderson by email at info@historicorangecounty.com or call 812-653-1212.

Indiana Conservation Officers are confirming the recovery of two bodies from the White River in Lawrence County. 

At approximately 12:14 p.m. this afternoon, the body of Cung Hu, 38, of Indianapolis, was located approximately ½ mile south of the Williams Dam. 

At approximately 6:47 p.m., Conservation Officers located the second body, Hrang Mang, 42, of Indianapolis. 

Family notifications have been made.  This incident is still under investigation.

Indiana Conservation Officers were searching for two men who were swept away in the White River near Williams Dam on Monday. 

Conservation Officers along with members of the Lawrence County Sheriff’s Department responded to the East Fork of the White River just downstream of Williams Dam at approximately 10:00 a.m. Monday.

Witnesses reported seeing two males attempting to wade across the main river channel to an island, before being swept away by the current.

Indiana Conservation Officers utilized various sonar units, divers, and boats to search the area where the men were last seen. 

Both East Washington and West Washington Schools are planning to get students back to school on August 5. 

However, both schools (as many others around the country are doing) are opening a virtual option for parents and students to choose. 

East Washington’s RETURN TO LEARN plan can be found at https://sites.google.com/ewsc.k12.in.us/ewsc-return-to-learn/home?authuser=0

Enrollment is currently underway there for Elementary, Middle and High School students. 

West Washington’s Virtual Option enrollment can be found here – https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfXk67dV-5Mv2YxPcqf_n5MPb6A4Q8u9pSxP34bULK7IDPKLg/viewform

“As we prepare for the beginning of school we need to make adjustments to transportation,” noted West Washington Superintendent Keith Nance. “We recognize that the social distance on a school bus will be difficult to achieve. As a part of our reopening plan, we are limiting the number of students allowed on a bus.”

Students will be required to wear a mask on the bus at most schools, including East and West Washington.

“In addition, we are asking parents that are able to transport their children to and from school to do so,” said Nance. “If you are going to transport your child to school please call us at 812-755-4872 to let us know so we can plan our transportation accordingly. We only need those that ARE going to transport their children to call.”

East Washington Superintendent Dennis Stockdale said mask would be required of all students and staff. 

“We require all students and staff to bring a mask to school to be used as necessary where social distancing is not possible (i.e. passing periods),” he said. 

Disposable masks, cloth masks, bandanas, and neck buffs are all-sufficient. 

Face shields are an acceptable alternative. 

Masks will be encouraged, but not required, in classrooms where social distancing can occur. 

Face masks will be required when being transported on a school bus for any activity.

Stockdale said any designs or wording on the masks must be school appropriate. 

In addition, the school day will be shortened with dismissals as follows:

• Elementary Students will be dismissed at 2:15.

• Middle School Students will be dismissed at 2:30.

• High School Students will be dismissed at 2:30.

No visitors will be allowed to come in the buildings during the school day until further notice.

West Washington will be having an open house for incoming 7th-grade students.

All other students grades 8 to 12 will have a virtual open house option. 

Here are useful videos from East Washington staff on what a day will look like for students — https://sites.google.com/ewsc.k12.in.us/ewsc-return-to-learn/traditional-option?authuser=0

Each school has its own list of instructions and frequently asked questions for parents and students. 

Monday at noon the Salem Community School Board of Trustees met in a special session to approve a recommendation to adjust the first-semester calendar of the fall semester of the 2020-21 school year.

The changes are listed below:

• August 3, 4, 5 (Monday-Wednesday) – Optional Teacher Technology Training Days
• August 6, 7 (Thursday and Friday) – Teacher Work Days
• August 10th (Monday) – First official Student Day
• October 16th (Friday) – Regular School day, NOT E-learning Day

“We’re only recommending a change for the first semester and we will monitor the Covid impact and the recommendations from health officials for the second semester,” said Salem Superintendent Jon Acton. 

Board member Dustin Davidson made the motion to approve and Mark “Bubba” Abbott gave the second. The motion was passed with all board members voting in approval, with two members voting via Zoom – Ericka Garloch and Becky White. 

RETURN TO SCHOOL CHANGING CONDITIONS

Acton said the Covid-19 situation was ever-changing and fluid.

As the board and public begin to discuss the Return to School plans, most everyone sees that the plans change very quickly.

Several bus drivers have been tasked to create plans for their school buses, which need to be presented to acting transportation director Dee Dee Zink. 

The corporation has posted information online at https://sites.google.com/salemschools.us/scsbacktoschool2020

The corporation has asked that all parents capable of driving their students to school should do so. 

The school said it will train all drivers on Covid-19 related symptoms and prevention including:

1. Self-Screening of symptoms each day prior to the school day. 
2. Contact Corporation Nurse and health department provider as needed.
3. Stay home until symptoms/illness subsides.
4. Report any known or suspected illness of students to the school. 

Guidelines for student pickup and dropoff are:

1. Require staff and students to wear masks while on buses. 
2. Hand sanitizer will be available for use on all buses. 
3. All students should practice maximizing space at bus stops. 
4. Where practical, maximizing space should be practiced on the bus. 
5. Where practical, one student per seat. 
6. Siblings will be required to sit together. 
7. Assigned seats will be required to ensure contact tracing. 
8. Students will be required to keep their hands off the windows. 
9. Windows will be open to allow fresh air into the bus as weather permits. 
10. Where practical, the first student on the bus will go to the rear of the bus and fill the seats from the rear forward. Exceptions will be made for those students that must be seated in the front. 
11. When exiting the bus all students are to remain seated until the rows in front of them have exited. No standing in the aisles is allowed. 

Cleaning and Sanitizing of Buses

• Buses will be cleaned and sanitized according to the CDC Guidelines
• Buses will be cleaned and sanitized daily.
• Where practical, buses will be cleaned and sanitized between routes. 
• The areas to be cleaned will include those most commonly touched while entering and exiting the bus. Those areas are the handrails, stepwells, seat tops, and driver controls. 
• If we find that an infected student was on a bus, that bus will be completely cleaned and sanitized before being returned to service.

QUESTIONS FROM BUS DRIVERS

The biggest question came when asked if the student was going to be temperature checked prior to getting on the school bus. 

Acton said there was guidance from the local health department regarding not doing temperature checks. 

“If the student has a temperature and the parents decide to send them on [to school] with medication, they can probably lower the temperature as they get on the bus and in school and later on it could go back up. We have a wellness clinic and the symptoms clinic. On the bus, we don’t have two different areas. We have to be a partner with parents. If they are sick, keep them home. The reality is — if the child comes to school and is sick, we’re shutting down. If the child comes to school and tests positive for Covid, our corporation is shutting down for a minimum of 2 days, but in reality, it’s probably going to be longer.”

According to Alica Thompson, RN at the Washington County Health Department, the Indiana State Department of Health made the recommendation to have parents do their own temperature and Covid screen before allowing the student on a bus or into the school.

“This was not [a directive from] Dr. Jeff Morgan,” she said. “ISDH stated that was too time consuming and a money and social distancing constraint to have screens for every bus and entrance at the schools. They went on to say that it almost guarantees that the screeners would end up positive themselves and therefore in the best interest for the parents to screen daily and well before the child could potentially be in close proximity to others.”

Drivers were present to voice concerns on the return to school plans impacting them and students. 

Bus driver Tina Sorrells said at least five bus drivers have resigned due to health concerns and there could be a few more leaves before the start of school. 

“We’ve lost five drivers already and depending on what some of the outcomes are here,” said Sorrells. “It could double. Don’t know where that puts you. The safety aspect needs to happen before we even get to school.”

The bus drivers thanked the board and administration for paying their salaries from March until the end of school but had the question of whether or not they would be paid if the school corporation goes to an online-only situation. 

Acton said he would have to study on that and see where the corporation finances are with state funding. 

They left Acton with four concerns to study in the next couple of weeks – temperature checks, bus monitors to help make sure students are social distancing and wearing masks, pay for drivers in case school is switched from in-person to virtual and sick students riding on the bus. 

Acton said the requirement to ride the bus is to wear a mask. He said this was a requirement or suggestion from Dr. Morgan, Health Officer of the Washington County Health Department. 

One driver said she drove a bus with special needs students and she said they would not be able to wear masks, referring to the rule of all students wearing masks on the buses. 

“Each one of your questions leads to a unique problem,” said Acton. “They are going to require some unique solutions. What I need today from each of you, is your concerns so we can address them.”

“We’ll work with the individuals, students and parents. We’re going to be asking parents a lot….so knowing which individual students on your bus, we’ll start working out that with individual communications,” said Acton. 

Acton said he wanted to hear concerns so “we can begin working out a plan to keep everyone healthy and safe.”

Sorrells also pointed out that if a parent leaves a child at the bus stop and the child gets sick and can’t get on the bus — “who’s responsible for the child?” 

Acton said he would be meeting with bus drivers and school officials to work through some of the issues before the start of school. 

On the returning student registration forms that the corporation currently having parents fill out, there is a transportation form.

According to Erin Humphrey at SCS, the form asks parents to choose if they are willing to help by bringing their child to school or if they need a bus route.

She said the school would be sending a SchoolMessenger call Thursday night to alert everyone the forms are available.

“My test group of about 75 parents who responded to Friday’s social media post and our staff who have children at SCS was completing the forms yesterday and this morning to test and find out if we had any issues,” Humphrey said.