I have written about the priority program by the Fishers Health Department to COVID test Hamilton Southeastern (HSE) School District students and staff.  Below is a news release issued by the Health Department with the details of how these PCR tests can be scheduled.

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The Fishers Health Department today (January 10) launched prioritized COVID PCR testing for students and staff of all Fishers-based schools. Effective Monday, January 10, all students and staff of Fishers-based K-12 schools (public or private) will be eligible for priority access to testing during dedicated drive-thru testing hours at the current FHD testing site located at 3 Municipal Drive, Fishers. Eligible students and staff may visit www.fishers.in.us/SchoolTesting to make an appointment. 

Prioritizing students and staff of Fishers-based schools is intended to improve access and availability to COVID-19 testing to keep schools open and safe. Hours for the Fishers Health Department Testing Site will expand before and after school to accommodate school schedules. 

Hours of operation for school-based testing:
Monday 7:30 – 9 a.m. and 3 – 5 p.m.
Tuesday 7:30 – 9 a.m. and 11 a.m. – 1 p.m.
Wednesday 7:30 – 9 a.m. and 3 – 5 p.m.
Thursday 7:30 – 9 a.m. and 11 a.m. – 1 p.m.
Friday 7:30 – 9 a.m. and 2 – 4 p.m.
Saturday 12 – 2 p.m.

Students and staff scheduled for a priority appointment may visit the site at any time of the same day scheduled.  FHD is only able to process tests with the correct appointment date. For the fastest and best service, FHD encourages individuals to visit at your scheduled time. Please have identification and QR code ready when you enter the garage.

The Fishers Health Department vaccination site remains open for appointments and walk-ins for people 5 and older. Boosters are available for people 12+ and are highly encouraged to protect yourself from the current high rates of spread of COVID-19. Any Hoosier can make an appointment at www.fishers.in.us/vaccine or visit the site at 12520 E. 116th Street, Fishers.

It has been quite a weekend.  The ice that came down,  coating surfaces Saturday evening, resulted in a 12-car pileup in 126th Street at the I-69 overpass.  It just came too suddenly for city crews to treat it.  Fortunately, no injuries were reported.

But this weekend gave me an opportunity to reflect on something that happened in the Indiana General Assembly.  The Senate held a hearing on a piece of legislation labeled Senate Bill (SB) 167.  Noblesville Senator Scott Baldwin supports the measure and it calls for teachers in the Hoosier State to be  impartial in teaching students about such subjects as Nazism, Marxism and fascism.

Fishers High School Social Studies teacher Matt Bockenfeld testified last week at a hearing centered on SB 167.  He questioned how a teacher could be impartial in teaching students about Nazism.

According to a story written by Indianapolis Star reporter Arika Herron,  posted to the Star Web site January 6, Senator Baldwin walked back the assertion that a subject such as the Nazi period in Germany can be impartially presented by educators.

There are other controversial parts of SB 167, but I want to focus on one issue.  That is, how do Social Studies teachers teach difficult subjects?

My mind went back to January 16 of last year.  I was in Florida with my wife Jane.  The January 6th riot at the United States Capitol was still an intense issue being discussed at that time.

Fortunately, my trusty podcasting equipment was with me in Florida so I could record a Zoom conversation.  My thoughts went to Mike Fassold.

Mr. Fassold is a long-time Social Studies teacher, now at Fishers Junior High School.  He coaches a team of students competing in “We The People,” a program where schools compete with each other over their knowledge of government and the U.S. Constitution.  The program is funded by the Indiana General Assembly and administered by the Indiana Bar Foundation.

Fishers Junior High School “We The People” teams have won multiple national championships.  Mike Fassold has a lot of experience teaching Social Studies at the junior high school level.

When I wanted to devote a podcast to January 6th just days after it happened, I contacted Mr. Fassold and asked him to appear on my podcast series to discuss how he talked with his students in the 2 days following January 6, 2021.  I learned a lot about how a teacher such as Mike Fassold goes about his craft.

He had the students ask questions, but he often did not provide an answer, he insisted that the students do their own work.

For example, one of his students asked whether then-President Donald Trump could face criminal charges for inciting the crowd that attacked the Capitol.  Mr. Fassold told the student to go to YouTube, find the speeches given at the “Stop The Steal” rally, and review the 1969 United States Supreme Court Case, Brandenburg v. Ohio.  That high court decision basically says speech advocating illegal conduct is protected under the First Amendment unless the speech is likely to incite “imminent lawless action.”

I went back and listened to that podcast recorded and posted January 16 of last year.  After listening once again, I have confidence that our teachers are quite capable of teaching students about difficult subjects in a professional way, not in a way to sway the students one way or another.

Below is my podcast discussion with Mike Fassold, posted on January 16, 2021.

It appears the City of Fishers will not be sponsoring any specific events for the Martin Luther King Holiday January 17.  However, the city did issue a news release Friday listing some local events.  A full event listing is available at this link.

Here is a listing for some of  those events, as provided by the city:

In the latest message to Hamilton Southeastern (HSE) Schools families, COVID case numbers continue to rise, the mask mandate remains in place and the Fishers Health Department is providing special COVID testing for HSE students and staff.

According to the message from the school officials, due to schools being closed for Winter Break, there may be a slight increase in the COVID positive numbers as the week of January 3 through January 9 will include reports dating from December 28, 2021. However, the school district reports recording the highest number of COVID positive cases since tracking began.

“At this time, masks will continue to be required in our schools as the advisory level for Hamilton County is red,” HSE says in the message to parents. “You may review that metric by clicking here. Please be diligent in protecting yourself and others from COVID – and keep students home if they feel sick or show symptoms of illness.”

The Fishers Health Department is making available priority PCR COVID testing for HSE students and staff beginning on Monday, Jan. 10. Testing is voluntary and will take place at the existing drive-thru site located at 4 Municipal Drive.

Parents, guardians, and staff may visit the dedicated appointment website here to register for these prioritized testing appointments starting today.

The Fishers Health Department will also be expanding their testing site hours to accommodate before and after school appointments.

“HSE Schools continues to prioritize the health and safety of those in our school community, while doing our best to maintain “SIS” or students in school,” says the HSE message to parents. “This week, we have seen exemplary efforts to provide and/or maintain high-quality learning environments and services for our students that returned to school and commend all our staff for their dedication.”

Our local library system has had enough to handle.  The Omicron COVID variant has already caused all in-person programs to go virtual, and officials have warned about staffing shortages that could impact library open hours.

Now, at the Hamilton East Library in Fishers, a water leak has resulted in closure of that building through Sunday, January 9.  Due dates have been extended and the book drop feature is also closed temporarily.

The Noblesville Library, also part of the Hamilton East system, is unaffected and open regular hours.

Below is the social media post issued late Friday.

Fishers Public Health Director Monica Heltz sat down with Larry to talk about the latest local COVID information.  She also explained a new program being rolled-out for students and staff, giving them particular hours to be COVID tested by the Fishers Health Department.

The Hamilton East Libraries handle both the Fishers and Noblesville library buildings, and the  Omicron variant has impacted their operations.

In a social media message posted Thursday morning, both libraries have suspended programs that are in-person.  Also, both library buildings could face closures due to COVID-related staffing shortages.

The message is shown below.

Staff reported Monday and students returned to classrooms Tuesday in the Hamilton Southeastern School District following the holiday winter break.  Wednesday evening, parents received an alert about some changes in the COVID rules.  Masks remain mandatory, but the local schools are incorporating changes in the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) guidance.

Below is the updated guidance, per the Skylert issued late Wednesday afternoon:

Continue reading HSE Schools update COVID protocols →

You have likely been reading and hearing about high COVID numbers in many states and localities.   What are the latest Fishers numbers?  The Fishers Health Department (FHD) shared some of that data Tuesday afternoon and it is not good news.

FHD Epidemiologist Josh Robinson, in his weekly video update, summarized the rapid increase in COVID cases in many places, due to the Omicron variant and what he describes as the “tail end of the second Delta variant surge.”

Here are just a few numbers that tell part of the story.

In Fishers, December 2021 registered the highest month of cases ever.  Last month, there were 3,184 total known COVID cases (there is no way to track home test results).  That number beats the previous high of 2,700 cases in December of 2020.

There were multiple days in the last week of December with more than 300 cases each day.  The highest number during that period was December 28th with 352 cases

“We anticipate that the spread will continue as there’s a high level of circulating COVID-19 in the community here in Fishers, Hamilton County, across the state (and) in many other states,” said Robinson in his video update.

Let’s look at the other numbers measuring the spread of COVID locally.

The overall Hamilton County unique individual positivity rate up from 18.5% the previous week to 24.6% this week.  The Fishers Testing Site positivity rate is up from 16% to 27.1%.  The Case Incidence Rate – a 14-day rolling average per 100,000 – was at 82 last week and increased to 162.6 this week.

Anyone trying to book a COVID test lately agrees with Mr. Robinson that there is an “extraordinarily high level of demand for testing capacity.”

FHD is working to expand options and availability of testing.  He suggests frequently checking the FHD Web site at this link.  The department says rapid tests are prioritized for school-age children.  Anyone can schedule a PCR test online.  Currently, there is a few days wait.  Most PCR test results are available within 3 days.

Not much change to report in hospital availability for Marion and surrounding counties, it remains low.  Hospitals are seeing an increase in people going into the hospital for COVID-19, stressing emergency rooms, admissions and ICU beds.

Robinson says the best way to combat this COVID wave is to vaccinate and get the booster if eligible.  He also urges residents to use mitigation strategies, such as mask wearing in public places, distancing where possible and observing good hygiene practices.

If you have any questions, Robinson suggests residents call the Fishers COVID hotline at 317-595-3211.

The full Josh Robinson video, posted Tuesday, is available at the link below.

There was a great deal of excitement about the announcement of 5G technology.  It would open up new, faster ways to connect to the Internet.  I could provide a new, reliable television delivery system capable of handling 4K picture quality technology.  It could even be utilized for autonomous vehicles at some point in the future.

Then, news stories started appearing about bad health impacts and birds falling from the sky.  Those stories blamed 5G signals.  It turned out, based on reporting from the New York Times, that most of these stories were planted by Russian trolls, in an effort to get the Russian technology ahead of American companies.

I am not saying 5G is without any health risks, there is just no credible science to back up  claims of serious health issues at this time.

The companies rolling out 5G service are starting the construction in many suburban areas.  Verizon has chosen Fishers as an area to begin installing 5G towers.

When the Indiana General Assembly wrote the rules on 5G, Fishers Mayor Scott Fadness was part of a contingent wanting local governments to have some say in how these towers are constructed.  The final rules allow municipalities to have a limited involvement in where 5G towers will be located.

In Fishers, the Board of Public Works and Safety, a body consisting of the mayor and his two appointees, have been considering these 5G tower applications.  Most have been approved.  In some cases, the board has asked Verizon and the neighborhoods to work out any disagreements and that has worked most of the time.

However, there have been a few denials to Verizon by the board, usually because a tower was to be located directly in front of a picture window and no other location could be found to keep the signal solid throughout the area.

5G technology is a line of sight signal, meaning far more towers are needed compared to 4G cell service.  That means many more towers are required to keep the signal constant.

The neighborhood of Glenn Abbey Village in the Windermere area argued in a board discussion it did not want any 5G towers located there and had an attorney make a legal case that a neighborhood could simply refuse 5G towers.  The mayor ordered City Attorney Chris Greisl to meet with attorneys representing Glenn Abbey Village and Verizon to determine how to move forward.

At a subsequent Board of Works meeting, Mayor Scott Fadness said that meeting of the legal minds resulted in no change to the city’s policy in considering 5G towers.  The Glenn Abbey 5G towers are scheduled to be considered at the January 11 meeting.

Now, there has been another development on the 5G front.  An Associated Press story posted Tuesday says the activation of 5G service has been delayed by 2 weeks at the request of Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg.  Airline companies have raised concerns about 5G signals interfering with key airplane guidance systems.

I have no idea how this development will impact the 5G rollout in Fishers, if at all, but it is something to watch.

Fishers is part of the initial 5G rollout.  It is a story I plan to follow closely.

The City of Fishers has devoted part of its Web site to 5G.  You can find it at this link.