Kentucky schools could see big changes when they reopen. State issues ‘starting point.’

Kentucky should prepare for mass changes in the ways schools operate, including sudden closures or rapid transitions to remote learning as K-12 campuses open in the fall, state education officials said Friday afternoon in the most specific guidance released since the COVID-19 outbreak began.

Whatever the start dates , state officials said schools should have a plan in case students have to attend class on alternate days, on alternate mornings or afternoons, or alternate weeks. Class sizes would be reduced, breakfast and lunch would be served in the classroom, and deep, intensive cleaning would have to be made on all surfaces between rotations.

Schools could be “in a constant state of readiness,” maybe not using lockers and encouraging students to take all of their materials home every day in case a surge in cases requires a quick suspension of in-person classes, a guidance document said.

Kentucky public school students have been learning from home since mid-March and districts are not sure if they will open on traditional August start dates given the uncertainty of the coronavirus pandemic.

Districts that decide to start the academic year in July would wrap up mid-year. Other districts may decide to open in late September or early October.

When students aren’t in school, they would be working on academic projects.

Under one option, parents would decide whether their children would attend school virtually or in-person.

Another option would combine in-person learning and virtual learning and another would allow schools to solely engage in virtual learning while students remain at home.

“This initial guidance provides schools and districts a framework for how they will need to start the 2020-2021 school year,” Interim Commissioner Kevin Brown said in a news release. “We are first trying to ask the questions districts need to ask themselves when dealing with all of the complex issues that have arisen as the result of the COVID-19 pandemic.”

Superintendents across Kentucky, including Fayette’s, are already trying to answer several of the dozens of questions that state education officials posed Friday.

Schools would have to make sure that students have masks and gloves, that there is proper social distancing in every situation including on buses, and that events such as festivals, parents’ nights and dances are safe. Schools would have to determine how to keep water fountains and bathrooms clean and safe.

Schools may see a dramatic increase in expenses, and be challenged by a lack of health and safety staff to screen students and conduct contact tracing for those testing positive, the guidance document said.

Schools will have to maintain high quality teaching and learning as the environment changes, supporting special needs students and those who are gifted and talented, as well as addressing students’ mental health needs.

When school buildings open, staff will have to be ready to isolate students who fall ill during the day, monitor infection rates and ensure COVID-19 testing, according to the guidance document.

Many of the decisions on how to move forward will be decided by local boards of education and school decision-making councils. State guidance is expected to evolve as new information becomes available throughout the summer.

“The COVID-19 pandemic has created many uncertainties. This early guidance serves as a starting point for schools and districts as they seek to plan for a safe reopening,” the document said.

This story was originally published May 15, 2020 at 6:14 PM.