Fayette schools monitoring sick cases and absences, no plans to close Friday

Fayette County Public Schools has no plans to close schools Friday, although attendance rates have been down this week, and a few other districts have canceled in-person classes.

The attendance rate at FCPS was 81.8% on Monday, but it rebounded to 89.2% on Wednesday and 88.4% on Thursday, said district spokesperson Dia Davidson-Smith.

During the winter months, attendance rates typically range from 91% to 93% because of weather and seasonal illness, Davidson-Smith told the Herald-Leader earlier this week.

“Closing schools is one of the most critical decisions a superintendent must make, and we take that responsibility seriously,“ she said. “We understand concerns about the spread of illness and are closely monitoring student attendance, teacher and staff absences, substitute availability, and historical attendance trends to make informed, data-driven decisions.

“At this time, current data does not indicate the need for school closures,” she said. “The overwhelming majority of our students are in attendance, healthy, safe, and actively engaged in learning.”

Davidson-Smith said custodial staff continues to sanitize high-touch surfaces, and students and staff are taking necessary precautions to help prevent the spread of illness, including deep cleanings during the evening hours and weekends.

“We remain in close communication with health professionals and encourage families to reinforce healthy habits at home, including handwashing and keeping students home when they are ill. FCPS will continue to monitor conditions daily and make decisions with the well-being of our students and staff in mind,” Davidson-Smith said.

Lexington had 597 lab-confirmed flu cases for the week ending Feb. 1, the most recent data available. That was up from 286 one week earlier.

There were also 79 lab-confirmed COVID-19 cases during the same period, an increase of 18 from the previous week. Those do not include at-home test kits, Kevin Hall communications officer at Lexington-Fayette County Health Department, said Thursday.

Among districts that have canceled in-person classes are Kentucky’s largest district, Jefferson, which will have at home learning or NTI, Friday and Monday; Owen County, Nicholas County and Bell County.

“Unfortunately, both the flu and stomach virus has hit our schools hard this week. Due to the amount of staff who are sick, Owen County Schools will be on NTI on Thursday, Feb. 6th, and Friday, Feb. 7th,” Owen County officials said in a Facebook post Thursday.

Nicholas County officials said in a statement they were not having an NTI day, instead closing altogether.

This story was originally published February 6, 2025 at 4:13 PM.