Students in Beech Grove head back to school today, among the first in the area

BEECH GROVE — Although summer is in full swing, some school districts in central Indiana are already heading back to school.

Beech Grove City Schools is welcoming kids and staff back into the classroom beginning on Wednesday.

The home of the Hornets has a student body of about 1,000.

The district is embracing all sorts of changes in the 2024-25 school year, which includes the reorganization of two of its schools and hiring two new principals.

The district needed to reconfigure its elementary and intermediate schools to ensure its third grade students have access to their fourth grade peers.

Now, South Grove Elementary is serving grades 2-4.

Center Intermediate is serving grades 5-6.

“As we are needing to fill positions, we are very happy that from kindergarten through 8th grade, we are almost at full staff," Superintendent Dr. Laura Hammack said. "At our high school, we are still filling positions. This teacher shortage is absolutely real and I absolutely credit our leaders and our teams at each building for getting us super high quality new team members here at beech grove and we look forward to filling all those positions soon.”

There are four certified teacher positions that currently need to be filled.

Dr. Hammack says ultimately students are the ones who suffer when classrooms are not properly staffed.

They are forced into larger class sizes than what they normally would have.

Outside of the classroom, the district is also in need of hiring bus drivers and monitors.

Dr. Hammack says safety is a top priority as students head back this week.

“We are the beneficiaries of being a member of a truly comprehensive grant through our service center that’s allowing for us to increase safety procedures and protocols. Really amplifying things that we’re currently doing and approaching safety not just from the bricks and mortar and ensuring our spaces are secure, but also the mental health side of the house," Hammack said.

That includes a heightened active shooter response protocol, ensuring doors are locked and not propped, and randomized metal detection.

In addition, there’s also a focus on making sure students are focused on the coursework and not being distracted on their cellphone.

The district has always been no cell phones allowed in pre-K through grade 8.

Now, the district is cracking down on phone usage in grades 9-12.

There will be a two week grace period at the start of the school year to educate students on the protocols, how they need to be compliant and then the progressive discipline if they are not.

Dr. Hammack says that could look like turning the phone on silent and keeping it in a pocket or backpack or collecting all phones in a bin at the front of the classroom.

Ultimately, she says it’s up to the discretion of the individual teacher.