When will Fayette schools reconsider putting kids in classrooms? Maybe late September.

Although Fayette students will start the 2020-2021 academic year learning from home, Superintendent Manny Caulk in an email told families Thursday night that he will revisit that plan in about eight weeks.

“We will closely monitor cases of COVID-19 in our community and reconsider in late September,” Caulk said.

The Fayette County Public Schools board Thursday approved his recommendation to begin the school year with Non-Traditional Instruction. or NTI based on the coronavirus spread. Health department officials on Friday reported 100 new cases in Fayette County from July 23, a one-day high since the pandemic began.

The school board will meet again on Monday to discuss a start date and safety measures that will be taken when in-person learning resumes. Schools in Kentucky shutdown in March to in-person learning.

Caulk said when the Fayette district switched to Non-Traditional Instruction last spring, the staff had very little time to prepare or plan.

“The reopening task force has done extensive work this summer to ensure that our second round of NTI will be more engaging, more robust, and consistently implemented across schools at all grade levels,” he said.

The district purchased a shared online curriculum, selected a consistent virtual learning platform, and invested in 1-to-1 technology districtwide, meaning that every student in every school will get a Chromebook and access to the internet. Teachers across the district will receive professional development before the first day of school.

Teams of more than 120 students, families, teachers, health officials, principals and district leaders have worked since April to prepare for the upcoming school year and select the best way to reopen, Caulk said.

He said the district has a plan that allows to staff to respond quickly as the status of COVID-19 changes:

“Depending on current levels of infection in our community, students may attend school in person, participate in non-traditional instruction, or be divided into smaller groups that rotate between in person and distance learning,” he said.

For now, the board voted to implement a home learning plan it calls “NTI - 2DL: Differentiated Distance Learning.”

The district has established an email address that will allow people to share thoughts with all members of the Fayette County Board of Education about the 2020-2021 school year. Messages can be sent to feedback@fayette.kyschools.us.

“I want our children back in school. I believe victory is in the classroom and that nothing can replace the magic that happens when students and teachers engage in learning together, ” Caulk said.”I also believe nothing is more important than the health and safety of our students, employees and families, and that plans for the 2020-2021 school year must be based on the rise or decline of COVID-19 cases in our community.”

Caulk told the Herald-Leader earlier this month that the district had received initial funding to help schools recover some of the costs incurred by the challenges posed by COVID-19. Current information indicates the district will be eligible for $1.7 million from the Governor’s Emergency Education Relief Fund and $10.2 million from the Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief Fund, he said.

The money will be available on a reimbursement basis, meaning that the district must first expend the funds before drawing from the federal dollars. The spending plan on file with the Kentucky Department of Education indicates Fayette County Public Schools intends to request CARES Act reimbursement for the investments already made to provide services for students and families while schools were closed in the spring and so far this summer.

This would include items such as educational technology, internet hotspots, printing and online learning resources purchased to support Non-Traditional Instruction and the Summer Bridge program designed to prevent academic regression, as well as the services provided to families such as meals and mental health support

District staff are tracking those expenses as they are incurred and anticipate presenting a report to the Fayette County Board of Education as part of the working budget in August and September, Caulk said.

If funds are available, the district will then look to recoup future expenses including personal protective equipment, cleaning equipment, and supplies.