With no state mandates for if or how schools should reopen -- or benchmarks for what would require them to shut back down as confirmed cases of the virus increase -- Gov. Eric Holcomb re-emphasized "confidence" Wednesday in local leaders to decide what's best for their districts.

Many school districts around the state have already reopened to in-person instruction, with several announcing positive COVID-19 cases.

The Indiana chapter of the American Federation of Teachers agree that so-called safety strikes for local unions could be possible of health precautions at schools are not met.

Confirmed COVID-19 cases among Indiana students and teachers are forcing school districts to adjust reopening plans. Reports of students and teachers testing positive for COVID-19 came out over the weekend and Monday.

In the Greenfield-Central Community School Corporation, a student tested positive for the virus on the first day back to class. At Avon High School, a staff member tested positive.

For many Indiana students who returned to classrooms this week for the first time since the coronavirus outbreak forced schools to transition to remote learning last March, the school day offered a mixed bag of emotions, anxiety and plenty of new health-related protocols.

Health officials warn that water in schools may be contaminated with unsafe levels of bacteria and metals from sitting stagnant in the pipes since March.

All Marion County schools will be required to follow a health metric for when they can offer in-person instruction. The order is based on the seven-day average of the countys COVID-19 positivity rate.

Members of the Indiana 2020 Two-Way asked us how schools -- whether in-person, virtual, or a combination of the two -- are addressing lingering equity issues related to race, health, technology, and special education.

Indianapolis Public Schools Board approved a school reopening plan Thursday that will ensure in-person classroom teaching for the states largest school district will not return until October at the earliest.