U.S. Sen. Mike Braun, R-Ind., has a message for Hoosier students, parents and teachers concerned about returning to classrooms amid the coronavirus pandemic: "Take a little risk."
Speaking Tuesday on Fox Business channel, the first-term lawmaker condemned the plans of some school districts that are beginning the school year with online classes because Braun contends students learn best through in-person instruction.
"That's taking kind of a stick your head in the sand approach, try nothing, hunker down. That's not going to work," Braun said. "Be safe, take a little risk, address this disease head-on. Don't hunker down."
Braun said local school leaders should follow the examples of Purdue University and the University of Notre Dame, which both are planning to reopen for in-person classes with protections aimed at minimizing the potential spread of COVID-19.
People are also reading…
"We in Indiana, as reflected in Notre Dame and Purdue, are enterprisers. We're not going to err on the side of taking the bureaucratic approach, the easy shutdown, the one-size-fits-all that's kind of dominated the whole approach on the disease to date," Braun said.
"Thank goodness we have a guy like (Purdue President) Mitch Daniels who never looked at the status quo or the conventional as being the way to do it. He, and Notre Dame following suit, are going to set the stage for what we need to do, and that is try, in a mitigated way, to get back to where you're most effective teaching kids — whether it's in elementary school, secondary, or post-secondary."
Some Region school corporations, including the Lake Central School Corp., are planning to reopen this month for in-person instruction, while offering wary students and parents the option to instead attend classes online.
At the same time, other Northwest Indiana school districts, including the Gary Community School Corp., Michigan City Area Schools and Portage Township Schools, are reopening solely with virtual learning to reduce the chances of COVID-19 infection.
Braun, who served on a southern Indiana school board between 2004 and 2014, said he's grateful there are currently no federal or state mandates dictating whether and how schools should reopen, since he believes those decisions should be made by local leaders.
But he also said, as a businessman, that taking risks is part of life, and Hoosiers need to be willing to embrace a little risk for the incalculable benefit of students learning from teachers in physical classrooms.
"Being a Main Street entrepreneur, that's based upon making practical solutions," Braun said. "The way forward is to do both: respect the disease; take a little mitigated risk."
How do NWI school reentry plans compare?
Crown Point Community School Corp. Bulldog Back to School Plan
Where’s your school’s plan? cps.k12.in.us
Options: Hybrid learning first nine weeks.
Schedule: Students will meet in person two days a week and participate in remote learning the remainder of the week.
Masks: Required in most contexts, except when eating or in classrooms where social distancing is appropriate.
Important dates: Students' first day of school has been pushed back from Aug. 19 to Aug. 24.
Duneland School Corp. Reentry Plan
Where’s your school’s plan? duneland.k12.in.us
Options: Duneland began on a hybrid learning model. Students are expected to transition to four days a week in-person, with a full virtual option available, in October.
Schedule: In the district's hybrid model, students attend class two-to-three days a week in-person in an alphabetically determined rotation. When not meeting in-person, students will be expected to keep up with remote learning assignments. As the district shifts to in-person learning, students will attend school in person four days a week with elearning on Wednesdays.
Masks: During the pandemic, students will be required to have a mask with them at all times. Students may be allowed to remove masks in classrooms when social distancing can be maintained.
Important dates: Students' first day delayed from Aug. 12 to Aug. 25. Four days a week in-person to begin Oct. 5.
East Porter County School Corp. Return to Learn
Where’s your school’s plan? eastporter.k12.in.us
Options: On campus or elearning.
Schedule: Students on campus will follow a traditional school schedule. Remote students must attend all recorded or live instruction sessions and communicate with teachers during school hours.
Masks: Masks are recommended when riding the bus, when dropping a student off to enter the school building and where social distancing is not possible.
Important dates: Students’ first day is Aug. 12.
Gary Community School Corp. 2020-2021 School Re-Entry
Where’s your school’s plan? garycsc.k12.in.us/2020-2021-school-re-entry
Options: All virtual start to school year.
Schedule: More information to come.
Masks: Masks will be required at certain times for all students and staff.
Important dates: Students’ first day of Aug. 12 delayed to Aug. 17 following power and internet connectivity outages.
Griffith Public Schools Return to Learn
Where’s your school’s plan? griffith.k12.in.us
Options: Virtual for first four weeks. In-person instruction to continue after.
Schedule: Online learning to be provided by Griffith teachers.
Masks: Masks will be required, but may be removed where social distancing is appropriate. Face shields may also be used.
Important dates: Students' first day of instruction will begin Aug. 19, pushed back from the district's original start date of Aug. 12. In-person instruction resumes Sept. 16.
Hanover Community Schools Re-Entry Plan
Where’s your school’s plan? hanover.k12.in.us
Options: In-person or elearning.
Schedule: Five days a week of instruction. Virtual instruction will be provided by licensed Hanover teachers.
Masks: Masks are strongly encouraged where six feet of social distancing cannot be maintained and required on school buses, in restrooms and when visiting an office.
Important dates: Online registration packets will be made available to parents in late July. Students’ first day is Aug. 19.
Lake Central School Corp. Return to School
Where’s your school’s plan? lcsc.us
Options: In person or online learning.
Schedule: Five days per week for in-person instruction; minimum five hours a day for grades 1-6, and six hours for grades 7-12, if choosing elearning option.
Masks: Masks will be required anytime students and staff cannot maintain six feet of distance. They will not be required while in classrooms if students are working individually and facing the same direction.
Important dates: School board members approved a delayed start date of Aug. 17, pushed back from Aug. 12.
Lake Ridge New Tech Schools IN Class Re-Entry Plan 2020-21
Where’s your school’s plan? lakeridge.k12.in.us
Options: Remote learning for first nine weeks.
Schedule: Remote students will receive education from teachers as they would in the classroom with some live teaching sessions or recorded lessons being provided.
Masks: Staff and students will be required to have a mask with them at all times.They will be required to be worn in certain settings such as on school buses, moving throughout school buildings, and speaking to others face-to-face.
Important dates: Students' first day was delayed from Aug. 19 to Sept. 2.
LaPorte Community School Corp. Getting Back on Track
Where’s your school’s plan? www.lpcsc.k12.in.us
Options: In-person, LPCSC-led distance learning, or LPCSC Homeschool Academy.
Schedule:Distance learning will require a nine week (grades K-8) or semester-long (9-12) commitment. LPCSC Homeschool Academy is a full school year commitment.
Masks: Masks will be available for students and staff and worn as much as reasonably possible. Some students may be considered medically exempt. See full school plan for more details.
Important dates: Registration for traditional in-person, LPCSC distance learning and LPCSC Homeschool Academy is required by Aug. 5. Students' first day is Aug. 24.
Merrillville Community School Corp. Re-Entry Plan
Where’s your school’s plan? mvsc.k12.in.us
Options: Virtual learning first trimester.
Masks: Students must have a mask with them at all times. Masks can be removed at lunch or where social distancing is possible.
Important dates: Students' first day is Aug. 20.
Michigan City Area Schools Reopening 2020
Where’s your school’s plan? educateMC.net/reopening
Options: All online until fall break. In-person or one of two Michigan City online learning plans available upon building reopening on Oct. 19.
Schedule: Five days a week with daily guidance either in-person or online of instructor, or self-paced online model for students not intending to return to traditional learning in future years.
Masks: Visitors, students and staff must have masks with them at all times.
Important dates: Students’ first day is Aug. 24 with a potential return to in-person instruction based on community coronavirus positivity rates on Oct. 19.
Portage Township Schools Re-Entry Plan
Where’s your school’s plan? www.portage.k12.in.us
Options: All Portage students' learning will be virtual for the first quarter of the school year. Grades K-6 to return in-person in the second quarter. Grades 7-12 will return in hybrid with full virtual available to both sets of students.
Schedule: Grades K-6 will attend five days a week in person. Grades 7-12 will return in a hybrid model, attending either Mondays and Tuesdays or Thursdays and Fridays in person. All other days will be elearning.
Important dates: Students will begin their first day of virtual learning on Aug. 12. In-person learning to begin Oct. 20.
School City of East Chicago Protect Cardinal Plan
Where’s your school’s plan? scec.k12.in.us
Options: Virtual learning for first nine weeks. In-person or virtual instruction offered in second quarter.
Schedule: Synchronous instruction will be led for students on a daily schedule from East Chicago classrooms. Students will transition to four days a week of in-person instruction in late October. Wednesdays will be remote learning days for all students.
Masks: Required in most contexts, except when eating or in classrooms where social distancing is appropriate. Visitors, students and staff must have masks with them at all times.
Important dates: Teachers' first day is Aug. 12. Instruction begins for students on Aug. 17. Students to transition to in-person instruction beginning Oct. 26.
School City of Hammond Re-Open Plan
Where’s your school’s plan? hammond.k12.in.us
Options: Virtual learning for first semester.
Schedule: Students will be taught on a a school day schedule with attendance taken daily, with exceptions for in-person career and special education programs.
Masks: Masks must be work by everyone in common spaces such as hallways, cafeterias, washrooms and teacher work rooms.
Important dates: Students’ first day is Aug. 19.
School City of Hobart Protect Brickies Plan
Where’s your school’s plan? hobart.k12.in.us/ProtectBrickies
Options: Choice of in person or elearning.
Schedule: Five days a week of in-person instruction or virtual elearning for all students following set school day schedule.
Masks: Students and staff are required to have a mask with them at all times. Required in most contexts, except when eating or in classrooms where social distancing is appropriate.
Important dates: Students’ first day pushed back from Aug. 12 to Aug. 24.
School Town of Highland School Reopening Framework
Where’s your school’s plan? highland.k12.in.us
Options: Online instruction for first nine weeks.
Schedule: Online students will receive instruction from a school town employee via Google Classroom or another online instructional program.
Masks: Required in most contexts, except when eating or in classrooms where distancing is appropriate.
Important dates: Student registration begins online Aug. 3. Students’ first day is Aug. 12.
Valparaiso Community Schools Return to Learn
Where’s your school’s plan? valpo.k12.in.us
Options: In-person or remote learning.
Schedule: Valparaiso Community Schools reopened five days a week in person. Remote learners will be assigned classes and consistent instructors in an effort to provide education synchronous to students’ in-person peers. The districts transitions to Wednesday e-learning days beginning Sept. 23.
Masks: Face masks are recommended at all times. Masks will be required where social distancing is not possible.
Important dates: Students’ first day is Aug. 12. Once-a-week e-learning days will take place every Wednesday from Sept. 23 to Dec. 9.
In this Series
5 stories you need to know today: Widespread COVID-19 exposure traced back to party at Hobart orchard, officials say
Dan Carden
Chief Political Reporter
Dan has reported on Indiana state government for The Times since 2009. He also covers casinos, campaigns and corruption.
