FAYETTE COUNTY, Ky. (LEX 18) — Fayette County Public Schools are asking families to weigh in and share their thoughts about sending their children back to school.
The district has launched a survey asking families to weigh in on the possible instructional models and voice their opinion. Families can take the survey here.
Fayette County Public Schools says they plan to welcome students back to school the week of August 24 with a new model of on-campus and face-to-face learning.
"This is later than our school district normally starts, but this change allows us to take advantage of the flexibility afforded in state law to have a shorter school year, which could prove crucial if intermittent closures are required," Fayette County Public Schools Superintendent Manny Caulk said.
Kentucky requires schools to provide a minimum of 1,062 instructional hours during a school year of no fewer than 170 days. Under state law, the General Assembly allows districts that begin the school year no earlier than the Monday closest to August 26 to have fewer than 170 school days as long as they meet the instructional hour requirement.
A task force of students, families, teachers, health officials, principals, and district leaders has been working on a reopening plan for Fayette County Public Schools since April. The group has examined the pros and cons of face-to-face in-person instruction, distance or virtual learning, and a blend of both approaches.
Superintendent Caulk said the district's reopening plan would:
- Prioritize health and safety.
- Be responsive and respectful of the individual circumstances facing students, families and employees.
- Maximize the opportunity for in-person instruction.
- Reflect best practices about wearing masks, practicing social distancing, sanitizing hands and surfaces, health screening and temperature checks, and contact tracing.
- Provide flexibility to accommodate changing circumstances with the pandemic.
Every decision made will be under requirements from federal, state and local health authorities, including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Kentucky Governor's Office, Kentucky Department for Public Health and Lexington-Fayette County Health Department.
