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'A hypothetical situation': Some parents upset about end to targeted services

Posted at 3:04 PM, Nov 13, 2020
and last updated 2020-11-13 18:37:21-05

LEXINGTON, Ky. (LEX 18) — Fayette County Public Schools will be ending targeted services next Friday. With COVID-19 cases climbing and Thanksgiving break approaching, district officials say they thought it would be best to put a stop to the program.

It was a relief for many Fayette County parents for their child could continue targeted services in person, despite virtual learning. Julie Lindamood says her family relies on this program for her daughter.

"It's a lifeline for families, for the growth of some students in the Fayette County school system," Lindamood said.

But it was announced Thursday those services would end. About a month ago, district officials decided to offer targeted services for a few thousand students, allowing them inside their school building for a couple of hours a week to meet with teachers in-person.

District officials cite the rising COVID-19 cases and the possibility of families traveling over the holidays as reasoning for ending the in-person learning program.

"They had not had transmissions between students and staff, it specifically stated that there were people in quarantine, however, those isolated cases had not interrupted the district services. In my opinion, what we are talking about here is a hypothetical situation."

Lindamood says she believes the hypothetical situations have already been accounted for by the schools.

"Every day we have to fill out a daily family assurance, and in that we say we haven't had close contact with anyone, no one in the home has COVID, we don't have any symptoms relating to COVID."

Looking forward to January, the district says they do plan to have students back on campus if their family selected in-person instruction in a survey issued earlier this fall.

But the district says if the county is in the red zone as January approaches, the semester will begin online.