What if Kentucky students don’t return this school year? Districts urged to prepare.

Kentucky Interim Education Commissioner Kevin Brown said Monday that he hopes children return to public school by April 20 in the midst of the coronavirus outbreak, but school superintendents should prepare in case they don’t.

On Monday, Brown told superintendents in a webcast that a virtual task force meeting later Monday afternoon would discuss what will happen if students don’t physically return to schools this school year.

The task force will discuss what to do about graduation if in-person classes don’t resume.

Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear this week asked that public schools shut down until at least April 20 and Brown asked them to prepare non-traditional instruction lessons that students could complete through May 1.

Schools won’t have to make up at least 30 school days this school year in which students are doing non-traditional instruction or learning from home, Brown said.

Brown said he was wondering whether it’s feasible to do NTI or non-traditional instruction after May 1. Most school districts normally close at the end of May.

This story was originally published March 23, 2020 at 4:16 PM.