This Lexington school plans August start. Architects used to help combat pandemic.

A Lexington private school is one of the first in the area to announce it is moving ahead with a mid-August opening as officials across Kentucky try to decide how and when to start classes in the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Lexington School, which has roughly 595 students in preschool through eighth grade, plans an Aug. 13 opening, Head of School Una MacCarthy said in a May 29 letter to families.

“We’re opening a week early this fall with solid plans that should help keep our families healthy,” a social media post that introduced her letter said.

Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear has asked schools, which stopped in-person learning in March, to plan for an early start in July, a traditional start in mid-August and a late start after Labor Day in September. Some school administrators are polling parents, and other districts, such as Fayette County, are convening tasks forces to help make decisions.

MacCarthy said in her letter that for The Lexington School, “there are still unknowns moving forward. What we do know is we are making plans for all our students to be back on campus in August.”

She said by adding instructional days to the calendar, the school has more flexibility in the event of a mandatory school closure.

MacCarthy said school officials are working with architects to be creative with space in order to accomplish social distancing. “We are fortunate to have a large campus with 40 acres and 140,000 square feet in which to work,’ she said. The ratio of students to teachers at The Lexington School on Lane Allen Road, is 7-1, according to its website.

In addition, she said school officials are examining protocols to ensure a healthy school setting, including daily temperature checks, proper handwashing, personal protection equipment, and other guidelines from the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and local health officials.

Cleaning and sanitization protocols have been enhanced at the school to add additional cleaning during the day, she said.

MacCarthy said the school will install in-duct and freestanding air purification systems this summer. The systems will use a combination of UV and oxidation technology to purify the air and reduce contaminants and exposure to bacteria and viruses.

She said school officials will spend the summer monitoring and studying the impact COVID-19 has on the school, its children, and families, and adjust as they learn more.

“This spring was neither traditional nor normal, but I am proud of how The Lexington School community reacted. In real-time, the faculty and students lived our mission and philosophy, and though we were not on campus, we never stopped learning and growing,” MacCarthy said in her letter.

This story was originally published May 31, 2020 at 12:48 PM.