‘Getting back into the classroom.’ Lexington schools return to limited in-person learning.

Demetrius Dishman on Monday dropped off his second grader, La’daia Dishman, at Lexington’s Rise STEM Academy for Girls as she returned to in-person learning for the first time since the pandemic shut Kentucky schools down last spring.

La’daia left her father’s hand, and rushed toward her teacher, settling on an air hug.

“It stimulates them more than being at home,” said Dishman.

Amid a surge in COVID-19 in Kentucky necessitating a return to virtual learning for many districts in the state, more than 1,700 Fayette County Public Schools elementary, middle and high school students will enter their schools for the first time since March. The two-hour afternoon sessions will focus on students who need extra help or “targeted instruction.”

In one classroom at Rise, about a half-dozen kindergarten students wearing masks sat behind plastic shields at individual desks, and worked on letter formations as a teacher and a teacher’s aide moved around the room.

“There’s nothing like getting back into the classroom as far as the environment and help them focus on” areas in which they are lacking, Dishman said.

A few Fayette County Public Schools had already been serving small groups of students, which has been allowed under guidance from the Kentucky Department of Education released Sept. 2, district officials said in a news release Monday.

Paul Laurence Dunbar High School began bringing in groups of about 20 students at a time three weeks ago, said Principal Betsy Rains.

“We actually got started because students reached out asking for help and our teachers wanted to bring them in for assistance,” she said, explaining that the school started first with students who are learning English. “We’re bringing in a different 20 students each time so we can reach them all.”

Rains said the grades of students getting the in-person help are already improving.

“It’s going great. They’re getting direct feedback, and they have somebody right there to answer the questions and to encourage them,” she said. “The encouragement alone is helping. The students are excited and to be here. They’re smiling and the adults are happy too. It’s nice to see kids in the building again.”

About 40 schools will offer targeted services this week. Bus transportation will be available to elementary school students this week. Bus service will begin at the middle and high school level the week of October 26.

It’s the first time since COVID-19 shutdown Kentucky schools in March that Fayette students are engaging in face-to-face instruction. The school board is meeting Wednesday to discuss a broader return.

Blake Snyder Eames said her family was still trying to decide whether to send her middle school son back to targeted instruction.

“The numbers are so frightening right now,” she said. “Why take NTI/2DL off the table just when we all figured it out? Why now? We have almost four times the daily positive numbers than we did even a month ago when they decided not to go back to the classroom. I feel like I am risking my kids health and well being to go back to the classroom prematurely and without the true motivations for this abrupt change clearly stated.”

As schools reopen this week, there will be new health-related rules and no more than 14 children -- all wearing face coverings -- in a classroom.

“We are thrilled to be serving students in person again,” Fayette County Public Schools Superintendent Manny Caulk said in a news release. “Our schools have excellent safety protocols in place and we are looking forward to providing additional support for some of our most vulnerable students.”

Each school worked with teachers and families to determine which students to invite to campus for additional instruction, based on the needs of the individual populations they serve.

“Targeted services will look different in each building,” Caulk said. “But the health and safety procedures across the school district will be consistent, including masks, social distancing, temperature checks, health screenings, hand washing and enhanced cleaning protocols.”

Rise Principal Jennifer Jacobs said she envisioned opening the first year of Rise with all students and hopes they can bring them all in safely soon.

“However, starting our on-campus instruction with targeted services allows us to ensure that when we can have all our scholars at once, they will start on the right foot together,” she said. “Everything that we do is rooted in the engineering design process.”

Rise kindergarten teacher Jennifer Lopez said teachers love having a connection with kids and they are missing that with at-home learning .

“Having them here is just filling my heart so much,” she said.

Some school buildings will welcome kindergarten students who have never been inside their schools. Others will serve students who are struggling with online learning or face language barriers.

“This is a great opportunity for us to have small group and individual instruction with students who need it most,” said Coventry Oak Elementary School Principal Shamiah Ford. The school analyzed assessment results to determine who to bring in. “The data shows they need this very personal instruction. While we would love to have all students in the building, we need to be sure we are not leaving these targeted groups behind,” Ford said.

At some schools, the time will be spent on experience-based learning like medical lab skills or animal sciences, district officials said.

Because coronavirus cases were high as the new academic year approached, officials said the district has worked on ensuring that the Non-Traditional Instruction -- at home learning -- available to students this fall was engaging and challenging.

As the district approached the week of Sept. 28 – the first Fayette school-established window to reconsider health conditions – Gov. Andy Beshear introduced new state guidance for schools. The number of COVID-19 cases again increased in Fayette County, which placed the school district in the state’s “red zone.” Under those conditions, school districts are advised to offer targeted services, district officials said.

State guidelines for targeted services allow schools to bring in no more than 15 percent of their building capacity. Classroom occupancy is capped at 15 or fewer people and sessions should last only two hours. Schools are allowed to offer additional help, but cannot provide primary instruction during these windows.

“We are increasing the number of students receiving targeted services this week, and those numbers will continue to grow next week,” Caulk said. “Every school I visit is excited about having students back on campus.”

This story was originally published October 19, 2020 at 2:45 PM.