‘Just excited to start.’ COVID-weary Fayette County students begin school virtually

Jessie Clark Middle School eighth grader Grace Porter was excited about the first day of school Wednesday, in part, because “I finally get to see my friends again. I get to meet my teachers.”

In this unprecedented time, with Fayette County Public Schools beginning the year virtually in the COVID-19 pandemic, “seeing” her classmates and teachers meant Grace connected with them after she signed onto a Chromebook in her south Lexington bedroom.

There’s a school schedule on her wall and she received an email from her principal about what to do first thing Wednesday. Last spring, Grace’s teachers communicated with her constantly during virtual classes, her mother Clarisa Wallace said, and Wallace expected no less Wednesday.

“I don’t feel like I’ve ever been truly lost, heading into this,” Wallace said while she worked from home at her job with Kentucky Utilities. After she heard her daughter laughing with friends in her first online class, Wallace said, “I think everybody was anxious. But the teachers put everybody at ease and it seems to have gone really smoothly.”

Across town, Edythe J. Hayes Middle School Principal Dave Hoskins started answering calls from families at 7 a.m., and by mid-morning had fielded about 75 inquiries about passwords or signing on. Teachers were in classrooms conducting virtual lessons.

He said despite sending out multiple pieces of information about virtual learning to families, some parents were initially frustrated.

“We’ve sent out information...but if you don’t live that verbiage everyday it’s confusing,” said Hoskins.

“There was a lot more participation than I expected,” said Hayes sixth grade math teacher Kelsey Meece.

Most students seemed pretty confident, and were ready to go at the correct time, she said.

“There were some technical difficulties... but we kind of expected that and ...tried to deal with them as they came,” said Meece.

In-person learning shut down in Kentucky in March shortly after the coronavirus struck the state. Fayette County’s first ever try with non-traditional instruction was rocky. As the new school year begins, Fayette schools will use only virtual learning for at least six weeks.

Superintendent Manny Caulk said the number of COVID-19 cases will be reviewed at various intervals before a decision is made to return to in-person learning. Until then, students will either participate in enhanced non-traditional instruction, NTI-2DL, or the separate Virtual Learning Academy.

Fayette County schools has an order in for 12,000 more Chromebooks with an expedited request. However, because of a shortage worldwide, the devices did not arrive by the first day of classes. The district’s Technology Department is reallocating mobile devices from other schools to shift to families who need them. When the new Chromebooks arrive, district officials said, there will be a distribution plan for each student to receive one.

The Virtual Learning Academy, with 1,800 students and a nearly $800,000 price tag, was still being set up for the school year on Monday and some parents were posting their frustrations online about having a lack of information.

Questions, with no names attached, about the virtual academy continued to pour onto the district website Wednesday afternoon, one from parents who said their boys were in “limbo” at 3:15 p.m. Fayette school board chairwoman Stephanie Spires said at a 4 p.m. Commerce Lexington virtual meeting Wednesday that there were some glitches with the first day, but overall it was a good one.

She said schools that finished early in the day Wednesday would be providing more work.

Meanwhile, at Morton Middle School Wednesday, 26-year veteran teacher Mark Russell taught NTI social studies virtually.

“The main thing that parents need to know is that we heard their concerns regarding NTI and we are trying to bring live instruction to their students because that’s what they need,” said Russell.

“I think all of us are nervous but I think there’s a sense of optimism,” he said.

The concept of learning pods where small groups of students are gathering privately as they receive public school instruction is on the horizon in Lexington.

The Salvation Army in Lexington posted on social media that it had converted various rooms in the Boys & Girls Club into learning pods for children who stay in the shelter.

“We also have tutors who have attended training and will be available to help students,” the post said.

Allison Davis of Wild Thyme Cooking school in Lexington told the Herald-Leader that about Sept. 1 she hopes to start a learning pod for 12-15 students with a teacher, cooking activities and precautions against COVID-19.

“Our goal is to provide a safe environment,” she said.

The new Rise STEM Academy for Girls opened virtually for the first time Wednesday -- for now, only with grades K-2.

Jennifer Jacobs, the director of the school, said all 150 students had their own Chromebooks Wednesday.

She said it was great to start off the school year ensuring that each “scholar” had access to the virtual classroom with their teacher.

“We’re doing more troubleshooting and trying to make sure that all of our families have access” and can either see their teacher online or get on their virtual classroom, Jacobs said.

She said the theme for starting off the school year is being able to adapt --”being nimble, being able to pivot, and to take this change that we are going through and be empowered by it.”

Kelle Parker Neal said her daughter Abbie , a student at Rise, is her oldest child, “so this is our first experience with Fayette county public schools. Starting virtually is definitely different than we imagined her first day of school being but we fully support the decision to keep everyone safe at home.”

“We are fortunate to have parents who help us with watching our girls so she (Abbie) will have someone with her the entire day to help guide her through the virtual lessons,” said Neal.

“Children are so much more flexible than we are. So while I personally am very sad to not have that first day of school experience we are all used to, she is just excited to start school,” said Neal.

All of the teachers and staff at Rise have made starting school a good experience so far, said Neal, who last week guided her daughter in an online exploration in which she got to meet her teachers. Before virtual classes started, a drive -thru open house and school supply pickup was exciting for her daughter.

“Her excitement has helped me to adjust my vision and we are going to make it a great day and as fun as possible,” Neal said.

This story was originally published August 26, 2020 at 10:14 AM.