Shelbyville Central Schools Superintendent Dr. Matt Vance knows there is a traffic flow problem at Shelbyville High School.

“The concern is, and we have talked to law enforcement about this, we are trying to keep Miller St. as clear as we can,” said Vance after Wednesday’s monthly school board meeting at the school system’s administrative building. “We are not sure what we are going to do yet. Once we do, if and when we make a change, we will give our parents and students plenty of time to get used to another change. We are aware of the concerns and we have some concerns as well.”

A gate that separates the high school’s parking lot on the east and west sides of the school has been kept closed this school year. That move was made, according to Vance, to limit traffic around the school bus drop off points on the high school’s west side.

With that gate closed, parents dropping off children at the high school cannot go through the gate and on to the middle school to drop off children or exit out onto McKay Road.

“We have to remember with the first couple of weeks it takes some time to get things worked out,” said Vance. “We are reevaluating. We understand there might be a couple different ways to get people in and out a little quicker.”

The City of Shelbyville is currently working on plans to build a roundabout at the Miller St. and McKay Road intersection that will help move traffic more efficiently through the area when school is in session. Construction is expected to start on the roundabout in 2023, according to Vance.

“The bottom line is, after the first couple of days, we’ve gotten most of our students in before the day starts,” said Vance. “That’s a positive on that but we do understand the concerns.”

COVID-19

With more than 3,500 students back in six buildings, it is no surprise COVID-19 cases have been on the rise.

“We know COVID has not gone away and we are going to have to keep dealing with it,” said Vance. “We will keep an eye on things and making sure we are following proper procedures and doing what we need to do for our students and our staff.”

The Indiana Department of Health reported 10,201 Hoosiers tested positive for COVID-19 Tuesday and 26 people died from the coronavirus in the previous week.

With home tests more prevalent, Vance admits it is hard to know just how many students have tested positive.

“We just continue to ask for cooperation from everyone,” said Vance. “It is important that if they are sick, keep them home until they are healthy and ready to come back.”