Employee involved in Fayette school bus meal delivery has COVID-19. Service stopped.

Fayette schools will no longer offer meal delivery to bus stops because a transportation department employee who was involved in the delivery tested positive for COVID-19, Superintendent Manny Caulk said Wednesday night.

“In the face of these unprecedented circumstances, our bus drivers and monitors willingly volunteered to serve in this new role to ensure that students who depend on meals at school still have access to food,” Caulk said in a letter to families.

“They are unsung heroes and we are all indebted to them for their leadership during these times.”

Caulk said the employee is recuperating at home. Since Saturday, Caulk has reported that three other district employees have tested positive for the virus.

Although Lexington-Fayette County health officials believe the risk of exposure to other staff and the children served is low, Caulk said “we believe the safest course of action is to close our bus depots.”

On Thursday and Friday, meals will be available only at pick up locations at the following schools: Arlington, Booker T. Washington, Breckinridge, Cardinal Valley, Glendover, James Lane Allen, Julius Marks, Lansdowne, Mary Todd, Meadowthorpe, The Academy for Leadership at Millcreek, Northern, Southern, Squires and William Wells Brown elementaries, LTMS and Winburn middle schools, Bryan Station High School and the Tates Creek Campus (under the awning between the middle and high school).

“We ask that those receiving meals practice social distancing and stand six feet apart while waiting in line, “Caulk said of the walk up service.

Meal service was not scheduled for the week of March 30 through April 3, during the district’s regularly scheduled spring break.

“We will work with community partners to revisit the best way to continue serving meals for children while also protecting the health and safety of our employees and families,” Caulk said. “We will communicate plans for providing meals beginning the week of April 6 as soon as they are finalized.”