Ky. Catholic schools will return to in-person learning, despite Beshear’s recommendation

Catholic schools in Kentucky are not following Gov. Andy Beshear’s recommendation to delay in-person learning until late September. They will start face-to-face instruction next week amid statewide upheaval over how to reopen.

Beshear recommended Monday that schools delay in-person openings until Sept. 28 as a result of a surge in coronavirus cases, especially among children. Many public schools are following his direction. But some private and public school administrators say they will move forward with face-to face instruction.

Tom Brown, Superintendent of Schools for the Catholic Diocese of Lexington, told the Herald-Leader Wednesday that the four bishops of all the dioceses in Kentucky signed a letter to Beshear saying that Catholic schools will open in-person as planned starting Aug. 17.

Beshear said at his news briefing Wednesday that he disagreed with schools that have decided to open as Kentucky reported a single-day record for positive tests and hopes they will reconsider.

During his Wednesday news conference, Beshear said he didn’t expect to issue an executive order shutting a school or district down, but he would in the case of a severe proven threat, a widespread outbreak, in which schools didn’t act appropriately.

The 13 schools in the Catholic Diocese in Lexington will open to in-person learning between Aug. 17 and Aug. 19, Brown said.

“We were obviously reacting to what the vast, vast majority of our parents desire. We had put a tremendous amount of work into our plans,” Brown said.

In addition to parents wanting children at school, Brown told Catholic school administrators in a letter Wednesday that other factors were concern for the welfare of students and their spiritual, social, emotional, and academic progress, and conversations with county public health departments.

Brown said in the letter that Catholic school officials will continue to monitor the situation and make adjustments, either system-wide or at individual schools, as needed.

In addition, during the week of Sept. 6, all four Dioceses of the Commonwealth will conduct an evaluation of the experience to date and will make any needed changes.

Parents are being asked to abide by rules for mask wearing, hygiene, social distancing, health checks, and staying home if sick.

A Wednesday letter to families from Sandra R. Young, President of Lexington Catholic High School, and Mathew George, the school principal said, “we ask that you refrain from posting pictures of students not following protocols (face covering and social distancing) on social media.”

“Lexington Catholic’s staff has worked around the clock on the protocols and procedures for our school to open safely. We cannot eliminate the risk in its entirety, but we have put in place risk reduction protocols. We will continuously evaluate our processes and be diligent in ensuring that everyone adheres to our safety guidelines,” the letter said.

Under no circumstance will anyone be permitted on Lexington Catholic High School’s campus without face coverings, social distancing, temperature checks and washing hands, according to the letter.

Families at Lexington Catholic High who want to keep their children at home have a virtual learning option.

This story was originally published August 12, 2020 at 1:06 PM.