MANDATE.
MANDATE. YOU'RE WATCHING 13 NOON. THANKS FOR INVITING US IN TONIGHT. YOU KNOW, IF YOU'RE A
PARENT YOU MAY BE A LITTLE
ANXIOUS RIGHT NOW BECAUSE WE'RE
JUST WEEKS AWAY FROM THE START
OF SCHOOL. FACT YOU MAY BE
WONDERING WHAT ON EARTH IS
SCHOOL GOING TO LOOK LIKE FOR
YOUR KID AND MOST IMPORTANTLY
WILL THEY BE SAFE? YOU KNOW,
THAT TOPIC HAS BECOME A
POLITICAL DEBATE IN WASHINGTON
WITH THE PRESIDENT AND THE CDC.
PARENTS, TEACHERS AND STUDENTS
ALL CAUGHT IN THE MIDDLE.
THAT'S OUR BIG STORY TONIGHT AT
11:00 BECAUSE THIS IMPACTS SO
MANY OF US. THIS IS SOMETHING
SCHOOL DISTRICTS ALL ACROSS
CENTRAL INDIANA ARE SCRAMBLING
TO FIGURE OUT TONIGHT. FACT AT
MOUNT VERNON SCHOOLS ONE IN 10
PARENTS HAVE NOW PICK
E-LEARNING INSTEAD OF IN-PERSON
INSTRUCTION. THE SUPERINTENDENT
THERE SAYS THAT'LL BE A
DIFFERENCE. I HAVEN'T
EXPERIENCED IN MY 31 YEARS AS A
TEACHER THE CITY'S LARGEST
SCHOOL DISTRICT P.S. WILL
UNVEIL ITS PLAN TO PARENTS AND
TEACHERS TOMORROW. TONIGHT IT
WAS PERRY TOWNSHIP. HERE'S OUR
EMILY LONGNECKER. THE BOARD
APPROVES THE REOPENING. HEALTH
AND SAFETY PLAN KNOWN AS THE
PLAN A SIGN OF THE TIMES. A
PERRY TOWNSHIP SCHOOL SCHOOL
BOARD MEETING WITH A PUBLIC
COULD WATCH REMOTELY THURSDAY.
SCHOOL OFFICIALS GATHERED TO
ANNOUNCE WHAT IT WILL LOOK LIKE
FOR STUDENTS TO RETURN TO
SCHOOL IN THE AGE OF AT 19. WE
ARE NOT ANXIOUS AT ALL. IT WAS
THERE IS NO DOUBT IN OUR MIND
THAT WE WERE GOING TO SEND THEM
BACK. MOM AARON SINDERS SAYS
HER SON'S NOAH, AGED 6 AND
ISAIAH, AGE 7 ARE READY.
LEARNING DID NOT WORK VERY WELL
FOR US. E-LEARNING WILL STILL
BE AN OPTION FOR STUDENTS WHEN
THE NEW SCHOOL YEAR KICKS OFF
JULY 29. BUT FOR STUDENTS WHO
DO GO BACK TO SCHOOL, THE
DISTRICT HAS A PLAN IN PLACE.
WE'VE TAKEN ALL THE SAME STEPS
THAT EVERY OTHER SCHOOL OR
RAGING ACROSS THE STATE IS
TAKING RIGHT NOW. MASKS WILL BE
REQUIRED FOR STUDENTS IN GRADES
6 THROUGH 12. STUDENTS IN K
THROUGH 5 ARE BEING ASKED TO
WEAR ONE. BUT IT'S NOT
MANDATORY. IT'S GONNA BE AWFUL
HARD TO THINK A FREE SCHOOL OR
A KINDERGARTNER FIRST GRADER IS
GOING TO BE ABLE TO MANAGE A
MASK THEMSELVES IN A CLASSROOM
SETTING. SINDERS AGREES WITH
SUPERINTENDENT PATRICK MAPES.
HER BOYS HAVE WORN MASKS WHEN
THEY GO OUT THEY DO OK. I DON'T
KNOW HOW THEY WILL DO ALL DAY
WITH THEM. THERE WILL BE
INCREASED CLEANING AND
BUILDINGS AND BUSES MORE HANDS
,SANITIZER AND DISINFECTANT
AND CLASSROOMS AND THE DISTRICT
IS ASKING PARENTS IF POSSIBLE
TO DROP THEIR KIDS OFF AT
SCHOOL RATHER THAN USING BUSES.
BUT IF THEY DO RIDE A BUS,
DRIVERS AND STUDENTS WILL HAVE
TO WEAR A MASK AND BE ASSIGNED
A SEAT. SO I THINK IT'S GOING
TO BE A MESS IN TERMS OF
TRANSPORTATION SINDERS ALREADY
DROPS HER KIDS OFF AT SCHOOL
AND UNDERSTANDS THE DISTRICT
ASKING OTHERS TO AS WELL BUT
ISN'T LOOKING FORWARD TO IT.
THE LINES FOR PICK UP AND DROP
OUT ARE GOING TO BE RIDICULOUS
AND INSANE IF THAT'S TRAFFIC
ISSUES AND WHEN IT COMES TO NOT
FEELING WELL THE MESSAGE IS
PRETTY CLEAR STAY HOME IF YOU
HAVE A FEVER OF 100 DEGREES OR
HIGHER OR SYMPTOMS OF COVERED
19. DISTRICT OFFICIALS KNOW
EVEN AS THIS PLAN IS RELEASED
IT COULD CHANGE ANY TIME
DEPENDING ON WHAT HAPPENS WITH
THE VIRUS. AARON SINDERS SAYS
SHE AND HER HUSBAND CAN HANDLE
IT AND SO CAN THE KIDS. KIDS
ARE RESILIENT AND AND THEY CAN
ADAPT. SO WE MENTIONED THAT
POLITICAL INFIGHTING OVER
SCHOOLS THE PRESIDENT HAS
THREATENED TO CUT FUNDING TO
SCHOOLS THAT DON'T REOPEN THIS
FALL. AND THE PRESIDENT HAS
SAID HE WANTS THE CDC TO CHANGE
ITS GUIDELINES FOR REOPENING
ONE OF THE PRESIDENT'S
COMPLAINTS. IT'S TOO EXPENSIVE.
SO WE WANTED TO KNOW HOW
EXPENSIVE IS IT? THE SCHOOL
SUPERINTENDENTS ASSOCIATION
BELIEVES THE AVERAGE DISTRICT
IS GOING TO SPEND ONE POINT
EIGHT MILLION DOLLARS IN
COPING COSTS ALONE TO REOPEN.
THINK ABOUT JUST THE EXTRA
CLEANING COULD REALLY ADD UP.
THEN YOU'VE GOT THE SOCIAL
DISTANCING INITIATIVES AND
SUPPORT FOR AT HOME LEARNING
FOR SOME STUDENTS. NOW AT THE
END OF THE DAY, OF COURSE
SAFETY IS KEY. AND JUST ONE
CASE CAN HAVE A SNOWBALL EFFECT
.FOOTBALL PRACTICE HERE AT
PHISHERS HIGH SCHOOL IS
CANCELED. THE REST OF THE WEEK
AFTER A STUDENT TESTED POSITIVE
FOR KOVAC , 19. NOW THE SCHOOL
DISTRICT IS ASKING OTHER
STUDENT ATHLETES TO WATCH OUT
FOR SIGNS AND SYMPTOMS. THE
SCHOOL HAD BEEN TAKING A NUMBER
OF PRECAUTIONS TO KEEP STUDENT
ATHLETES SAFE. YOU CAN SEE HERE
WITH SOCIAL DISTANCING MARKINGS
THEY'VE GOT HAND SANITIZER
HERE. THEY'VE ALSO BEEN
SPLITTING THESE STUDENT
ATHLETES INTO SMALLER GROUPS
WHEN THEY'RE ON THE FIELD. WE
SAW THAT WITH SOCCER PRACTICE
TODAY. SOME OF THOSE PLAYERS
WHO WERE NEAR THAT PLAYER
TESTED POSITIVE WILL BE UNDER
QUARANTINE FOR THE NEXT 14
DAYS. THE REST OF THE FOOTBALL
PLAYERS ARE EXPECTED TO HIT THE
FIELD AGAIN ON MONDAY. IT'S
OFFICIAL. AS OF THIS AFTERNOON
,THE GOVERNORS OF ALL OF
INDIANA'S BORDER STATES NOW
HAVE MANDATED MASKS IN SOME
FORM OR ANOTHER. THE GOVERNOR
OF KENTUCKY ANNOUNCED A
STATEWIDE ORDER THAT BEGINS
TOMORROW. THE GOVERNOR OF OHIO
STARTED ORDERING MASKS IN
CERTAIN COUNTIES EARLIER THIS
WEEK. MICHIGAN AND ILLINOIS
ALREADY HAVE STATEWIDE RULES IN
PLACE. SO WHY NOT INDIANA?
YESTERDAY GOVERNOR RICK HOLCOMB
SAID HE SUPPORTS LOCAL
GOVERNMENTS THAT CHOOSE TO
ENACT ONE. HE NOTED THOSE
REQUIREMENTS ARE CONSTITUTIONAL
AND TO REDUCE THE SPREAD OF
COATED 19. BUT THE GOVERNOR
STOPPED SHORT OF SAYING WHETHER
HE WOULD MAKE ANY MASK RULES IN
HIS CAPACITY AS GOVERNOR. SO WE
REACHED OUT TO THE GOVERNOR'S
OFFICE A FEW HOURS TO GO TO SEE
IF THAT HAD CHANGED. GIVEN
KENTUCKY'S DECISION, THE
GOVERNOR'S OFFICE POINTED US TO
HIS REMARKS THAT HE MADE ON
JULY 1ST. THAT'S WHERE GOVERNOR
HOLCOMB WAS ASKED DIRECTLY WHY
NOT MANDATE MASKS? HE GAVE TWO
REASONS THAT DAY. NUMBER ONE,
HE BELIEVES HOOSIERS WILL DO
THE RIGHT THING. AND NUMBER
TWO, THE OFFICE HAS A LONG
HISTORY OF WORKING WITH LOCAL
GOVERNMENTS AND SUPPORTING
THEIR NEEDS. NOW ONE OF THOSE
LOCAL GOVERNMENTS IS MARION
COUNTY WHOSE MANDATE WENT INTO
EFFECT TODAY. SO HOW'D IT GO
WEARING A MASK WHILE OUT IN
PUBLIC IS NOW MANDATORY IN
MARION COUNTY. THAT'S ONE
INSIDE STORES ENTERING A BAR OR
RESTAURANT AND OUTSIDE ONE'S
SOCIAL DISTANCING ISN'T
POSSIBLE EVEN FOR KIDS AT
SUMMER CAMP. A SPOT CHECK OF
BUSINESSES FOUND SOME MAKING IT
CLEAR NO ONE GETS IN WITHOUT A
MASK. OTHERS LIKE TARGET WERE
STILL STRONGLY RECOMMENDING BUT
NOT REQUIRING MASKS AND THIS
HARDWARE STORE. WE WERE TOLD
THEY HAVE NO PLANS TO MAKE
ANYONE MASK UP. THE COUNTY
HEALTH DIRECTOR SAYS BUSINESSES
WHO DON'T COMPLY COULD BE CITED
IN FINE. BUT MCCAIN SAYS BEFORE
THAT HAPPENS THEY'LL WORK TO
EDUCATE THOSE