Johnson County schools—along with schools throughout the state—are required to round out the school year online.
Indiana Superintendent of Public Instruction Jennifer McCormick announced the state’s decision during a news conference Thursday, a decision supported by Gov. Eric Holcomb.
Schools will have to fulfill one of two requirements to be recognized by the state as fulfilling educational standards. Taking the 20 waiver days into account, schools will either have to complete a total of 160 school days, virtual and in-person combined, or complete 20 eLearning days from now until the end of the school year, McCormick said.
All six Johnson County public school districts have already shifted to virtual learning environments.
The move is an extension of the state’s earlier decision to close schools through May 1 due to the COVID-19 pandemic which, as of Thursday, had infected more than 3,000 Hoosiers, and killed four Johnson County residents, according to state and local health officials.
With the order, seniors who were already on track to graduate high school will be granted their diplomas, as the school year was already about 75% complete. Seniors will also have any requirements waived for exams that have been canceled that were needed to graduate.
Individual schools will determine if students pass their classes in kindergarten through 11th grade, based on their performance during the entire school year, including future eLearning days.
Although McCormick announced the end of in-person classes for the 2019-20 school year, she balked at a decision to prohibit graduation ceremonies from taking place. Instead, McCormick said schools will have to get creative.
“If you’re upset at anybody in this situation, you can be upset with me,” McCormick said. “You’re missing your proms and graduation ceremonies, but schools are trying to get creative. They will have to look at some options of what that looks like, but they’re still working on what that looks like. We will offer our support.”
The executive order also extends teacher licenses expiring between March 1 and Aug. 31 to Sept. 1.
