Lexington drops to ‘red’ in return-to-school status. Board calls special meeting.

A special meeting has been called for Friday to talk about the Fayette County Public Schools’ return to in-person learning. On Tuesday, Fayette County was ranked in the worst range, red, in Kentucky’s color-coded system.

“We learned, like the rest of the state, yesterday afternoon that Fayette County had officially received a ‘red’ rating,” Superintendent Manny Caulk said Wednesday about 2 p.m. “Our understanding is that the increase in the incidence rate is directly linked to cases among University of Kentucky students. We have made contact with officials at the University of Kentucky to learn more about whether those cases are within an isolated UK cohort, or indicative of a wider community spread.”

“At this time, we are still gathering information. It is critical that decisions be grounded in facts and not be swayed by speculation or political posturing. Every decision we make will be with the safety of students, staff and families we serve in mind. We will hold a special called board meeting on Friday morning to hear more from public health experts to better inform our next steps,” he said.

Kevin Hall, a spokesman for the Lexington-Fayette Health Department, told the Herald-Leader that Tuesday, Lexington had 35 new cases from UK students.

“Overall, we’re seeing the numbers increase because of university students and in the community at large,” Hall said.

The color-coded system calls for specific mitigation measures based on levels of disease transmission. Fayette was at 26 cases per 100,000 people Tuesday afternoon. Under the system, schools are encouraged to move the following week after a red designation to all-virtual instruction and suspend extracurricular activities, including sports.

When a county is red, those measures should remain in effect until the community returns to yellow status at a future decision point.

Fayette has had all at-home learning since Aug. 26. Gov. Andy Beshear has recommended that districts not return to in-person learning until Sept. 28. While at least 53 districts have decided not to wait, Caulk previously said that Fayette schools won’t return to in-person until at least early October.

On Wednesday morning , Hall said Fayette County had 83 positive cases from Tuesday.

“Lexington’s case count has been trending upward, with more than 80 cases per day on average in September,” Hall said.

Health department officials reported 83 new COVID-19 cases on Wednesday afternoon, with almost half of the cases being infected college students. The health department did not name the institutions students attended.

The state’s K-12 COVID-19 case report said that on Tuesday, Fayette County, which has resumed athletics, had the state’s second highest number of students with positive cases at 37.

Caulk said Wednesday that Fayette County Public Schools has been working closely with the Lexington-Fayette County Health Department to monitor community spread of COVID-19 with the goal of returning to in-person learning.

Fayette schools have been hammering out specific plans to bring smaller groups of students back to campus with a hybrid model that alternates cohorts of students between online and in-person learning., Caulk said. The Fayette County Board of Education had previously been scheduled to reassess public health conditions and make a determination on Sept. 28 about which instructional model is appropriate for the next six weeks.

What are Fayette board members saying Wednesday about the timing for a return to in-person learning?

“I don’t think my personal opinion matters as this is a team decision,” board chairwoman Stephanie Spires said this week. “Our kids need to be in the classroom but our community has to make this a priority through our actions and behaviors. “

Board vice-chairman Ray Daniels said the district is committed to the safety of all students and staff.

“While we all agree there are more benefits to our students for in person school we also must agree on a standard of community compliance in regards to positivity rates,” said Daniels. “The color coded process or state dashboard is a 7 day rolling number so other factors need to be considered.”

Board member Tyler Murphy made one of the strongest statements.

“As long as we have substantial community transmission of COVID-19, then returning to in-person instruction is not safe, responsible, or sensible for our children, our staff, and their families,” he said.

“Reducing the spread of this disease and getting back to in-person instruction will require all of us doing our part—wearing a mask, practicing social distancing, and washing our hands,” he said.

Todd Burus is a statistician and the leader of the social media group, Let Them Learn In Fayette County, which is asking for more choices for district students, including the option to return in-person learning.

Burus said Wednesday the issue is more complicated than board members are willing to admit at this point. He said Fayette’s COVID-19 situation is better than data on certain days might suggest.

Burus said the widespread testing of UK students is capturing more cases than anywhere in the state because of the university’s protocol. And he said that could be improperly affecting the decision of whether Fayette students should return to in-person learning.

After Caulk’s announcement, Burus said, “It is encouraging to see that (the Lexington health department) is being more involved,I know they can present a better picture than the state Department of Public Health at this time. This is encouraging, should the board members be willing to allow the local authorities to supersede the more vague, contextless metrics being handed out by the state.”

At a Tuesday virtual meeting of superintendents, new Kentucky Commissioner of Education Jason E. Glass acknowledged that it will be problematic for K-12 schools to keep a six-foot distance between students if all or most of them return for in-person classes.

Districts that don’t abide by the 6-foot distance guideline probably will need to offer hybrid classes, with some students learning remotely, Glass said, according to a news release. Glass also noted the state’s Healthy at Schools guidance said that “If the physical space in the school does not allow for spacing students’ desks 6 feet apart, space desks as far away as possible. All desks should be arranged so students’ seats face the same directions.”

This story was originally published September 23, 2020 at 2:35 PM.