More than 500 Lexington students struggling during COVID get staff OK to repeat year

Fayette County school district officials are recommending that all of the approximately 523 students who say they suffered academically during the pandemic can repeat the 2020-2021 school year under a new state law.

The recommendation from Pupil Personnel Director Steve Hill and Budget Director Ann Sampson Grimes to give Lexington students an unprecedented opportunity after a year of classroom shutdowns and virtual learning is included in documents for Monday’s monthly board meeting. The recommendation was made after Hill’s May 10 discussion with the board. Three affirmative board votes are needed for final approval.

Board member Stephanie Spires confirmed Friday that she will vote yes.

“I intend to follow the staff’s recommendation because they have researched this issue and are most knowledgeable about the district’s capacity to provide services,” said Spires.

Board members Christy Morris and Tom Jones said Friday they wanted to hear more about the district’s staff approval before making their votes public.

However, Morris said, “I was pleased that the district has contacted every family to ensure they were making the right decision for their child. I look forward to hearing the details of the recommendation at our next meeting.”

“We look forward to hearing the ... recommendation from the administration, discussing it as a Board team, and making a decision ... once we have all the information,” said Board Chair Tyler Murphy. Board member Amy Green did not immediately comment.

The deadline for families to apply under the so-called “do-over” law enacted in the 2021 General Assembly was May 1. The law requires all local Kentucky school boards to approve all or none of the requests by June 1.

Of the 523 applications, 167 were at the elementary level; 114 at middle schools and 242 at high schools.

Hill has said that only 37 seniors asked to retake the year, as did 71 ninth graders, 65 tenth graders, and 69 juniors. In middle schools, 36 sixth and 36 eighth graders and 42 seventh graders made the requests. At elementary schools, 35 kindergarten students, 36 first graders, 21 second graders, 26 third graders, 24 fourth graders, and 25 fifth graders asked to repeat the year.

Hill told board members May 10 that the approvals will have minimum impact on staffing and won’t cause overcrowding in 2021-2022 because the requests are spread out among schools. Hill said that allowing students to repeat a year would not create a negative financial impact on the district.

Hill said school staff have been meeting with each parent to devise a plan for their child and after those meetings, some parents rescinded their requests. Hill said the overall number of requests were likely to drop. At one elementary school, all kids rescinded their requests. In part, Hill said, school staffs assured families that they could meet the needs of the students without having them repeat the year.

Outside of the new law, students can still be retained under normal longstanding district policies with the approval of their parents.

Student athletes who turn 19 before Aug. 1 will not be able to participate in sports in the fall, Hill said. Hill said social and emotional needs and academics -- not athletics -- were the reasons that 95 percent or more of the students asked to repeat.

Several school districts in the state have approved the requests of their students to retake the year. Bowling Green Independent Schools did not. According to media reports, Superintendent Gary Fields said students would be given the opportunity in summer programs to raise their grades so they wouldn’t have to repeat a year.

This story was originally published May 21, 2021 at 2:32 PM.