Updated: Elementary aide at Lee County KY school dies from COVID, 3 staff in hospital

An instructional assistant at Lee County Elementary School died from COVID-19 Sunday morning and three other employees have been hospitalized with coronavirus complications, the superintendent said.

Two of the three hospitalized were on ventilators, according to the superintendent.

A Lee County high school assistant coach who wasn’t a teacher or staff member was just released afrom the hospital after being treated for COVID-19.

Due to the virus, the Lee County Schools District in Beattyville has been closed on and off since the school year began Aug. 10 and is moving to virtual learning — non-traditional instruction — next week.

“We closed three days the second week of school, came back two days in person that week and then went in person three days last week and closed this past Thursday and Friday. We are using NTI this coming week,” said Lee County Superintendent Sarah Wasson.

Heather Antle, the instructional assistant, “was a special lady who daily made a positive impact on our students and staff with her smile and energetic personality,” Wasson said.

“She will be greatly missed by her family, friends, our school family, and by our community. We have three other school family members currently hospitalized due to COVID complications. Please keep them in your prayers,” said Wasson.

Antle’s husband, Donald Antle, said Sunday that his wife, who was in the hospital for 16 days before dying, “would help anybody.”

“She was very outgoing, generous,” said Antle.

Heather Antle was mom to son Byron.

“She was a fighter,” Antle said. “She did her best. There were complications.”

Antle’s contributions were vast, the district said in a Facebook post.

“She helped anywhere she was needed, assisted with the archery team for years, and brought great joy to the students and staff that she worked with. She loved her family, her job, the staff, and the students,” the post said.

Wasson said Monday she could not address whether the elementary school employees who tested positive were fully vaccinated.

“That is a personal decision of each employee that I cannot answer,” she said.

Gov. Andy Beshear posted on social media about the outbreak at the elementary school and the death.

“There was a time when some argued COVID did not spread in schools. That time should be over. We grieve with this family and community,” Beshear said.

Late Saturday night, Powell County school officials announced that Tuesday through Friday of next week would be non-traditional instructional days with students learning from home.

On Sunday, Pike County School District officials announced it was closing from Monday through Sept. 6 — with no at-home learning —because of COVID-related sickness and quarantines among staff and students.

The days will be made up in May. The district expects to return to school on Sept. 7.

Pike is at least the 15th school district to close in Kentucky in the latest coronavirus surge. Last school year, districts were given unlimited days to let students learn from home to deal with the coronavirus.

But lawmakers, concerned about the extended school shutdown, passed a new state law that allowed schools only 10 non-traditional instruction days during the 2021-22 term that districts don’t have to make up.

Some school districts are shutting down anyway this academic year, saying they have to stop the spread of the coronavirus. Other school districts, including Fayette, have quarantined hundreds of students who have been exposed to COVID.

“As you know, our priority has been to focus on maximizing safe, in-person learning for our students and community,” the Saturday night statement from the Powell district said. “Over the last 24-48 hours, we’ve had a larger number of students test positive for COVID, so we are making adjustments to plans for next week.”

Students and staff will go to school Monday, but the district will not have students in class Tuesday through the end of the week. Powell school officials plan to return to in-person learning on the Tuesday after Labor Day.

“We are taking the step of closing Tuesday because it would be difficult to quickly conduct contact tracing for the large number of students,” the school district said. The district also needs to address the possibility that “staff shortages resulting from the student quarantines could create additional complications. This also allows us to get schoolwork into the hands of students for the rest of the time away.”

Monday morning, Powell school district administrators will focus on contact tracing with positive students.

“The rest of the week away will let us get past many quarantine days, so we can be in better shape to come back after the holiday weekend,” the statement said.

Some Kentucky superintendents are asking lawmakers to give them more non-traditional instruction days.

Meanwhile, people in Lee County are mourning and praying for an elementary school hit hard by COVID.

“Our employees are not just employees,” said Wasson, the superintendent. “They are family.“

This story was originally published August 29, 2021 at 3:27 PM.