It was late Friday afternoon when social media was abuzz with the rumor that HSE Schools would begin the school year virtually, at least through Labor Day, due to the COVID-19 pandemic.  When I was able to confirm the rumor, comments have been flying throughout the community.

This is not the way anyone wants to begin the new school year.  Parents, staff, administrators and school board members all wanted students in the classroom to start the 2020-2021 school year.  But facts and data point to virtual learning.

The statement issued by the school district, in the form of a letter to parents, said the decision was “based on our local health indicators that are showing an increase in infections in our community and current staffing projections.”

The health indicators, just reviewing the numbers, are not encouraging.  At the level of the entire state, Sunday’s number shows 927 new positive tests….that is a lot and the number has been generally growing in recent days.

In Hamilton County numbers provided by the state Sunday, 45 new positive cases were reported, for a total positive tests of 1,933.  The positive test number in the county has been increasing steadily.

The Fishers City Health Department reports 105 positive tests in the past 14 days and a total of 591 tests coming back positive since the novel coronavirus pandemic began in March.  July has been a particularly difficult month for Fishers, with a high of 22 positive tests reported July 7th.

These numbers, particularly from the Fishers Health Department, had an impact on the local school corporation’s decision not to open the school year with in-person classes.

Note that the HSE letter to parents cites “current staffing projections” as a reason to start the school year virtually.  Many teachers are high-risk due to age, health condition(s) or a combination of both.  Do not blame the teaching staff, they have families and loved ones to consider just as we all do.

The decision to have virtual learning at least through Labor Day at HSE Schools has drawn a lot of reactions.  Just keep in mind school officials were balancing a number of important factors in reaching this decision.  School board members and administrators want in the worst way to get students back in their classrooms, based on everything I know and their public statements, but doing so safely, without major health risks, is a challenge with the number of positive cases in our local community.

This is the 4th largest school system in the state based on the number of students, so there will be a wide variety of opinions about all this.  However you may feel, and you are certainly entitled to whatever views you may hold, just understand the HSE Schools, and most school districts throughout America, are dealing with a once-in-a-hundred-year pandemic.  Whatever decision school officials make, it will leave a large segment of the community unhappy.

A legendary member of Congress has died, a member that accomplished more before serving in the House than most of us do during several lifetimes.  I am talking about John Lewis.

There is much to say about this man.  Allow me to just focus on two things I found fascinating about his life.

When John Lewis was a young man, he noticed that there were parts of his community in Alabama where Black people could not go.  He always was required to sit in the balcony of the movie theater, never on the main floor.

When he asked his parents and grandparents for an explanation, they just told him not to question it – that’s the way it’s always been, just don’t make any trouble.  John Lewis spent the rest of his life not following his parents advice.

He did what he described as “good trouble,” pushing for social justice and civil rights in the Jim Crow south.  He nearly died after having his skull fractured by police as he and many others attempted to cross a bridge in a peaceful march to the state capital in Montgomery.  There were other instances where Lewis and others came close to death making “good trouble.”

Secondly, John Lewis lived by a very important concept…when you are right and on the right side of history, never give up…..never, ever give up.  When Mississippi civil rights leader Medgar Evers was shot and killed outside his home in 1963, it would have been easy for Lewis to give up.  When Martin Luther King was assassinated on April 4, 1963, it would have been easy to give up.

But John Lewis never gave up.  Perhaps it was because he survived that he chose to run for congress and remained there for 34 years.  He fought for the causes in which he believed, and followed his own advice of never giving up.

John Lewis was a man not just of conviction, but a man willing to put his life on the line to fight for those principles.

I went to Washington and Capitol Hill several times as part of legislative conferences and always hoped to perhaps see John Lewis in the hallway, shake his hand and thank him for his service to the nation.  I never had that chance, but here is a story that may make you smile.

I did see the late Elijah Cummings speak, and he told us how many times people visiting the Capitol would mistake him for John Lewis.  It happened so often Cummings stopped correcting the tourists and just smiled and thanked them.

The Washington Post reported Saturday that Senators Marco Rubio of Florida and Dan Stevens of Alaska posted tributes to John Lewis, and used pictures of Elijah Cummings instead of John Lewis.

The Hamilton Southeastern schools will start the coming school year with virtual classes, not in the school buildings.  The district says the virtual instruction will continue from the first day of classes August 6th through at least Labor Day.

Athletics and extra curricular activities  will remain “status quo,” based on the statement from school administrators.

The entire statement from the school corporation is below:

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The construction at State Road 37 and 126th Street has not changed, with the area west of SR 37 on 126th closed to traffic and the east end open for right-in-right-out travel.  That is set to switch sometime this month, but we do not know when.

Also, be aware of continuing construction on 96th Street, 116th Street, as well as 106th and Mollenkopf Road.

The full road construction listing, as provided by the City of Fishers, is listed below.

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The novel coronavirus was the reason for the initial cancellation of the Nickel Plate Amphitheater concerts this season, but the city has now announced that there will be musical events on the Amp stage, including the Blues Fest.

Here are the concerts announced by the Fishers Parks and Recreation Department Thursday:

• Friday, July 24: Toy Factory
• Friday, August 21: Huckleberry Funk
• Friday, September 4 and Saturday, September 5: Fishers Blues Fest

As you would expect, there will be rules in place:

COVID-19 Safety Precautions:
In accordance with Governor Holcomb’s executive order, the NPD AMP is working alongside the Fishers Health Department to complete a COVID-19 Event Plan to ensure patron and event organizer safety. Currently, the NPD AMP will require the following safety guidelines:

• Capacity will be limited
• Face masks strongly recommended
• Patrons will be required to sit within the pre-determined socially distant seating arrangements
• Hand sanitizer and hand-washing stations will be available throughout the venue
• Vendor lines will require 6-foot spacing between each guest

Guests are strongly encouraged to follow the NPD AMP social media channels for the latest information and requirements for entry to these events. All details and schedules are subject to change without notice.

For more information, use this link.  Look for more on the Blues Fest as the date draws closer.

by

Fred Swift

Hamilton County Reporter

Hamilton County Commissioners officially appointed Lisa Charles as County Veteran Service officer at their Monday meeting. Ms. Charles was originally appointed in January, but her appointment was temporarily rescinded a few weeks later when it was learned that state law required a service officer to have lived in the county for five years.

The state legislature changed the law earlier this year to allow appointments after one year of residency. The statutory change became effective July 1.

Ms. Charles, a Carmel resident and military veteran, has been serving as interim service officer since the January rescinding decision and departure of the previous officer.

Following their Monday meeting, Commissioners met with representatives of Aspire, the mental health agency for the county.

Barbara Scott, director, told commissioners that Aspire is continuing to maintain services through the current pandemic crisis.

Outpatient clinics are located at 17840 Cumberland Road in Noblesville, and at 697 Pro-Med Lane in Carmel. They offer primary care and a variety of services.

Aspire serves about 5,000 clients annually in Hamilton County. Patients pay for service, but the county funds a significant portion of the agency’s budget.

When COVID-19 resulted in the cancellation of many big film festivals throughout America, the local Indianapolis-base Heartland Film Festival decided to keep going in a very creative way.  The Shorts Film Festival will go on for the third consecutive year as a separate event, with the festival going July 21-26 with virtual viewings and screenings at the Tibbs Drive-In.  Julia Ricci joined Adam Aasen and Alec Toombs and we all talked about short films.  Here is the podcast.

I will tell it to you straight….I love high school football.  I spent most years of my radio broadcasting career doing play-by-play and commentary on football and basketball at the high school level, and some small college games.

When you are so close to sports, you either stop doing it or you love it even more.  My love for sports only grew through my younger years.  I got to know many players, their families, coaches and athletic directors.

I found most people drawn to sports as a profession are good people.  There are always exceptions, but if you don’t learn to love coaching kids and getting to know their families, you don’t stay in coaching for long.

When I first received a tip last Wednesday evening that a Fishers High School football player had tested positive for COVID-19 after only a few days of practice, my heart sank.  For this to happen so soon was a big setback to the upcoming high school football season.

But, it should be noted, based on what I gleaned from a podcast conversation Friday morning with local Superintendent Allen Bourff, the young man testing positive was doing well with few, if any, symptoms.

The Fishers High School athletic staff should be credited with following all the protocols from the IHSAA and Fishers Health Department.  Practice is set to begin again Monday for the Tigers, but the local health department will be providing advice on players working in the same group as the player testing positive.

Even though I no longer sit in the press box or watch the game from the sidelines as I once did, I still enjoy watching high school football from the stands.  I don’t care if I need to arrive early to social distance and I certainly do not object to wearing a mask to keep people around me safe.  I just want to be there and enjoy the game.

Classes begin for students at the local Hamilton Southeastern School District, the 4th largest in the state, August 5th.  Local school officials are doing everything possible to provide the safest place for students to learn in their respective school buildings.  The football player’s positive test is only the first challenge for local educators.  There will be more and officials know that.

I look forward to classes beginning and sports being played in August.  There are risks, to be sure, but let’s give our local leaders in education the chance to show what they can do.

Let’s just say I’m planning to see as much Royals and Tigers football as possible this year.

Two local people, Katy Rogers and Chris Hutchinson, started their podcasting venture in November of 2019 and have posted new podcasts each month.  Chris talks about entrepreneurship, writing a resume and just business issues in general.  Katy talks about her produce farm, her family and her background in strategic messaging, on their Katy & Me podcasts (you can find the Katy & Me podcasts at this link.)   Katy and Chris took time out of their busy schedules to join me in one of my LarryInFishers.com podcasts.

The Fishers High School football player testing COVID-19 positive is “doing fine with few, if any, symptoms.”  That is according to HSE Schools Superintendent Allen Bourff, during a podcast interview with me Friday Morning.  The Fishers High School Athletic Department acted quickly and “by the book,” per Dr. Bourff.

The student testing positive was isolated immediately and the other players practicing and meeting with that student have been given instructions by the Fishers Health Department on their need for isolation and/or testing.  Some individuals on the football coaching staff are also receiving guidance from the Fishers Health Department.

“This was a trial run for us,” Dr. Bourff said.  He expects positive cases will crop up as school gets underway in August.  The school corporation is planning a table-top exercise soon with Fishers city officials on handling positive tests.

Fishers football practice is expected to start again next week, without the players told to isolate.

Dr. Bourff talked about a number of subjects in this podcast, including graduation, plans for reopening school buildings next month and plans for handling inclusion and race relations in the individual school buildings.

Listen to the podcast below.