Local schools to begin with online learning

By TONY FYFFE
BSN Editor

FRANKFORT — Gov. Andy Beshear recommended Monday that school districts delay the start of in-person instruction until Sept. 28. Beshear’s recommendation does not affect virtual or online instruction, which local districts plan to implement. “Yes, that’s six weeks from now, but it’s also six weeks from what I hope is the peak of this virus, six weeks from the last three weeks where we have been at an all-time high week in and week out, six weeks from a time when we just had a 6 percent positivity rate,” Beshear said in a press release. “Let’s face it, we’re trying really hard and we’ve taken good steps. Masks are working. But we do not have control over this virus. And to send tens of thousands of our kids back into in-person classes when we don’t have control of this virus, it’s not the right thing to do for these kids, it’s not the right thing to do for their faculty and it’s not the right thing to do as Governor.” Beshear briefed state school superintendents about the recommendation during a conference call prior to his regular news conference Monday. Lawrence County Superintendent Dr. Robbie Fletcher asked during the call if teachers could enter school buildings to work during non-traditional instruction (NTI). Beshear said that would be acceptable as long as numbers are kept small, times are staggered and teachers distance themselves as much as is practical. Fletcher also asked how his district could get a report on COVID-19 positivity for Lawrence County. Dr. Steven Stack, commissioner of the Kentucky Department for Public Health, said that calculating even the statewide rate is a “very manual process” and that there is currently no way to figure it at the county level. Beshear said the latest rankings available from the Trump administration show 53 of Kentucky’s 120 counties in the highest category of infection. Those counties are spread across the state, so he would advise looking at the situation at least regionally rather than one county at a time.
Schools in Lawrence and Martin counties had planned to start both virtual and in-person instruction on Aug. 26, while the Johnson County and Paintsville Independent districts were scheduled to begin Sept. 1 and the Floyd County system on Sept. 8. Fletcher said Tuesday that the Lawrence County district will start the school year with online instruction, with students having two options. Those options are at-home learning provided by a Lawrence County teacher or virtual learning on a standalone computer program that is “designed to be a safety net for those who are looking to home school.” “Teachers will only monitor these students,” Fletcher said in reference to the latter option. The Johnson County School District said on its Facebook Monday evening that it will adhere to the governor’s recommendation of delaying face-to-face instruction until Sept. 28 and that more details and information would be released soon.
Floyd County Superintendent Danny Adkins said in a video posted on Facebook Tuesday that his district would be begin on schedule with online instruction. Martin County Superintendent Larry James said Tuesday that his district would also start the year with online learning on Aug. 26. While the governor’s guidance is only a recommendation and not an order, Interim Education Commissioner Kevin Brown said that if a school district does not abide by the guidance, it can expect to receive a call from state education and health officials.