ANCHOR INTRO: NEW TONIGHT - AS MORE STUDENTS RETURN TO THE CLASSROOM THIS MONTH SOME PARENTS HERE IN MICHIANA ARE CONCERNED ABOUT THE QUARANTINING PROCESS. SCHOOL DISTRICTS ARE REQUIRING ANYONE WHO COMES IN CONTACT WITH A STUDENT WHO’S POSITIVE WITH COVID-19 —- TO QUARANTINE FOR TWO FULL WEEKS BEFORE RETURNING TO IN-PERSON LEARNING. ABC57’S SAMANTHA JOHNS SPOKE WITH SOME MICHIANA PARENTS TODAY AND IS LIVE IN SOUTH BEND WITH THEIR THOUGHTS ON HOW SCHOOLS ARE HANDLING THE PROCESS. SAM?
LIVE INTRO:
BRIAN- WE’VE BEEN SEEING SEVERAL SCHOOL DISTRICTS CHANGE THEIR POLICIES WHEN IT COMES TO MASKS BUT ONE THING THAT HASN’T CHANGED IS CONTACT TRACING WITHIN THE CLASSROOM. NOW ONLY SEVERAL WEEKS INTO THIS SCHOOL YEAR SOME PARENTS ARE WORRIED THEIR KIDS WILL FALL BEHIND IF THEY HAVE TO BE QUARANTINED EVEN IF THEY COME BACK WITH A NEGATIVE COVID TEST.
TAKE PKG:
SOT: Alexis Smith, Mother of a PHM Student
“It feels like a punishment to them because they’re being sent home and they don’t know why. They’re not sick, but we’re telling them you have to come because you were around somebody that was sick.”
TRACK 1
ALEXIS SMITH’S DAUGHTER IS A STUDENT IN THE PENN HARRIS MADISON SCHOOL DISTRICT – THEY’VE ALREADY HAD SEVERAL COVID POSITIVE CASES IN HER GRADE. WHILE SHE HASN’T BEEN REQUIRED TO QUARANTINE JUST YET IT’S SOMETHING MANY MICHIANA PARENTS ARE FEARING FOR THEIR KIDS THIS SCHOOL YEAR.
SOT: Joshua Tavernier, Parent of a Mishawaka Student
“One kid will be sick and it’ll take a couple days before you know anybody around them with the contract tracing is even notified that they’ve come in close contact with them and then from there they call the kid down to the office. They call the parents and they put them in a quarantine room until their parents can get there.”
TRACK 2
SCHOOL DISTRICTS HAVE CONTINUED TO BATTLE OVER BACK-TO-SCHOOL SAFETY MEASURES ESPECIALLY WHEN IT COMES TO MASK WEARING INDOORS - BUT STUDENTS ARE STILL FACING THE POSSIBILITY OF BEING EXPOSED EVERYDAY. FOR SMITH SHE SAYS DESPITE THOSE CONCERNS- IF A STUDENT ISN’T TESTING POSITIVE THEY SHOULD STILL BE ALLOWED IN THE CLASSROOM BECAUSE ONLINE CLASSSES AREN’T A FEASIBLE OPTION FOR EVERY PARENT.
SOT: Alexis Smith, Parent of a PHM Student
“E-learning doesn’t always help. Sometimes you know if I have to work it’s hard to get someone to watch her while I’m at work. And, most of the time kids don’t want to do it at home. They like to learn in the classroom.”
TRACK 3
AND PARENTS FINDING CARE FOR THEIR KIDS DURING THE QUARANTINE PROCESS ISN’T THE ONLY FRUSTRATION - SOME FEAR THEY’LL FALL EVEN FURTHERL BEHIND SINCE THEY DON’T GET THE IN-PERSON INTERACTION MANY KIDS DESPERATELY NEED TO SUCCEED.
SOT: Joshua Tavernier, Parent of a Mishawaka Student
“There are some parents that don’t have the ability to teach their kids like a teacher would and then how do they get help if they need the help. You can’t just keep quarantining kids. You just can’t do it.”
TAG: BOTH MISHAWAKA AND PHM SCHOOLS ARE CURRENTLY FOLLOWING QUARANTINE PROTOCOLS FROM THE ST.JOE COUNTY HEALTH DEPARTMENT—AND BOTH ARE REQUIRING MASKS IN SCHOOLS RIGHT NOW. LIVE IN SOUTH BEND SAMANTHA JOHNS ABC57NEWS.
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