On August 14th, 2020, BCSC announced its decision to no longer manage and post the COVID-19 indicators used to determine whether or not BCSC schools would remain open to in-person learning or move to virtual learning across all buildings and programs. Instead, these metrics will now be managed and updated by the COVID-19 Community Taskforce.

In light of these developments, the Columbus Educators Association and the Flat Rock-Hawcreek Teachers Association are partnering to demand more transparency from the COVID-19 Community Taskforce. Together, we represent more than 500 educators in Bartholomew County, and we know that parents need accurate and clear information in order to make the best decisions for their children.

We are calling upon the COVID-19 Community Taskforce for increased transparency surrounding our county's COVID-19 indicators, the spread of COVID-19 in Bartholomew County schools, and the status of Bartholomew County schools' reopening plan. Specifically, we are asking that the Taskforce do the following:

1) Define under which precise conditions schools will go virtual and the county will be designated as "substantial spread." When BCSC managed the COVID-19 indicators, they used a system to designate whether metrics indicated low/no spread, moderate spread, or substantial spread of COVID-19 in our community. As more indicators moved into the "substantial spread" categories, it was understood by the community that schools would transition to eLearning. We know that the Taskforce assuming stewardship of the indicators will impact all county schools.  As of August 16th, the COVID-19 Community Taskforce is no longer judging each individual indicator as indicative of low, moderate, or substantial spread, and it has not shared how it would be determined what level of spread our community is facing. Our community deserves to know precisely how these designations are determined, and at what point it will be determined that schools must transition to virtual learning.

2) Announce when a student or staff member tests positive for COVID-19, and provide all information possible without violating HIPAA or FERPA laws.  This is critical for families trying to make the best decision for their children. If a student or staff member in our county tests positive for COVID-19, at a minimum, the building(s) they attended should be announced, as well as how many students and staff members are quarantining as a result. Revealing this would not constitute a violation of HIPAA or FERPA laws.  Families need this transparency now more than ever.

3) Regularly update the community on to what degree county schools are complying with their district's reopening plan. Families sending their children to our schools are trusting that our plans are being implemented as written. In order to exercise good stewardship of that trust, the COVID-19 Community Taskforce must independently audit all county schools to determine the degree to which schools are adhering to their district's reopening plan. If the Taskforce is going to take over the management of indicators and our county's status, it must take a more active role in working with our school leaders and unions to ensure that schools are as safe as possible. We are calling on the Taskforce to make public the degree to which each building is adhering to its reopening plan, and what measures are being taken to improve implementation where necessary.

Right now, transparency is more important in our communities than ever. In order to trust that the COVID-19 Community Taskforce is adequately protecting the health and safety of our county's students and school staff, it must provide greater transparency around the precise metrics that would determine if schools will go online, when students and/or staff members test positive for COVID-19, and the degree to which each district's reopening plan is being followed.