Schools change reopening plans amid virus surge. Catholic schools in Lexington delay start.

As coronavirus cases surged in Kentucky and Gov. Andy Beshear recommended that schools postpone in-person learning, public and private schools on Wednesday continued to change or reconsider their reopening plans for 2020-2021 .

As of 2 p.m. Wednesday, the Kentucky School Boards Association was aware of several additional school boards that have met over the last couple of days to discuss their reopen plans, said Eric C. Kennedy, Director of Advocacy.

“At this point we believe 10 boards, out of 171, now plan to begin the school year with virtual instruction only. The majority of boards continue to plan for in-person instruction, with various schedules, with an all online option for students as well,” Kennedy said.

The Roman Catholic Diocese of Lexington on Wednesday moved its in-person school reopenings for fall from Aug. 12 to the third week in August. Superintendent Tom Brown said each of the 14 schools in the diocese could make its own decision as to when they would open from Aug. 17 through Aug. 19.

Spokeswoman Lesley Farmer said Wednesday that “at this moment Lexington Catholic has not confirmed our start date. “

Principal Mathew George has a meeting set for Thursday to discuss the date with other Diocese schools principals, Farmer said.

“After his meeting with the other schools, Principal George and Lexington Catholic President, Sandra R. Young, will make the decision on our start date,” said Farmer. “ As you can imagine, with new information coming not just daily but sometimes more often they want to make sure all information is considered to ensure the health and safety of our students, faculty and staff.”

George told families in a Wednesday letter about a new virtual learning option.

“Though we had hoped that everyone would be able to join us for in-person instruction for the start of the new school year, we realize there are families and members of our community that have extenuating circumstances that might require a different option for the time being,” George said. ” ...we will be offering a ‘Virtual Learning Option’ for the first semester of the new academic year.”

Letcher County was the latest school district to announce on Tuesday morning that it was beginning the school year Aug. 26 with all virtual instruction, joining Morgan, Fayette, Jefferson and others.

“We truly miss our students and want them back in our classrooms, but their safety is our priority. We will work to make this experience the best that it can be given the circumstances,” Superintendent Denise Yonts said in a letter to families.

Public health officials had reported as of Tuesday that 33 people in Letcher County had recovered from COVID-19 and there were seven probable cases. The Whitesburg Police Department said in a social media post Wednesday afternoon that Police Chief Tyrone Fields had tested positive for COVID-19 and people who had had contact with him between July 24 and July 29 may have been exposed.

Woodford County school officials said in a message to families Tuesday that while an in-person return was planned, families should be prepared to return on an all virtual basis.

“That is a possibility I think for every district depending on how things evolve with the virus, “ said Superintendent Scott Hawkins.

This story was originally published July 29, 2020 at 4:57 PM.