Fayette County schools cancel in-person classes Tuesday. At-home learning implemented.

In the aftermath of a major winter storm, Fayette County Public Schools officials canceled in-person classes Tuesday.

The day will be an at-home learning day, or non-traditional instruction day. NTI was also implemented Monday.

“Our transportation team reports that bus routes are still heavily impacted by compacted snow and ice. While we understand that everyone is eager to return to school following this extended winter break, the safety of our students is our number one priority,” district officials told families in an email shortly before 5 a.m. Tuesday.

“Please be on the lookout for additional guidance and information about NTI assignments from your student’s school. As with yesterday, students will be given ample time to complete assignments and no penalty will be given for late work. We look forward to returning to in-person learning as soon as we are able to do so safely,” the message to families said.

Parents spoke at Monday night’s Fayette school board meeting asking for an alternative school bus plan in the event of winter storms that syncs with the city’s snow removal plan. There should be alternative school bus stops after a winter storm, said parent Matthew Vied.

“NTI’s a joke. Kids should be in school,” said Vied.

School district officials did not immediately respond to a request from the Herald-Leader to comment on parent concerns.

This week’s cancelations come after the district had four traditional snow days last week. A major winter storm dropped ice and more than seven inches of snow on Central Kentucky throughout the week.

Fayette students have not yet returned from winter break.

With many roads still snow- and ice-covered in Kentucky, by Monday night nearly 20 other school districts statewide had canceled in-person learning for Tuesday.

School board chair explanation

In a Facebook post sent just after the Fayette announcement was made Tuesday, school board chair Tyler Murphy said families would receive specific communication from their schools about NT1 and that Monday’s non-traditional instruction day had gone smoothly.

“FCPS crews have been out since 2:30 a.m. assessing road conditions across the county, and we appreciate their work and their efforts to prioritize safety for all students,” Murphy said. “It is important to understand that the district operates nearly 1,700 bus routes and covers a combined 23,000 miles a day. And we have thousands of students who walk or drive to school. Our transportation team weighs all these factors in their assessment and decision-making. This work would not be possible without a dedicated team of drivers, monitors, and other key transportation workers.”

Families with questions or who need additional assistance or support should reach out to their child’s school, Murphy said.

“While I know we all would much rather have students learning in person, the option for NTI allows our dedicated educators to offer some continuity of learning while balancing the lingering challenges presented by the winter storm and the safety of students. I know the decisions facing our staff are not easy and I remain grateful to them and our students and families for their patience, understanding, and support,” he said.

Superintendent on student safety

Superintendent Demetrus Liggins spoke Monday afternoon with the Herald-Leader’s reporting partner WKYT about the decision to cancel in-person classes.

Liggins told the television station that more than 60% of the district’s students rely on buses to get to and from school. WKYT asked about parents’ frustrations, including why there aren’t alternative bus routes.

“We have nearly 27,000 students that ride the bus. We also have students with a variety of needs. We have students with physical situations that require us to go to their front doors. We have to make sure we are accommodating them appropriately. Although many of our families may have access to get their kids to an alternative bus stop, many of our families simply don’t,” he said.

Liggins said thousands of Chromebooks were either picked up or delivered to families Monday. For now, the district will stay in daily contact with the city’s Streets and Roads Department, WKYT reported.

“As many calls and emails as I take from parents and guardians who are upset we don’t have school, I would much rather talk to parents and take those questions or complaints than have to speak to family members to tell them their child was hurt, or worse, on one of our buses,” Liggins said.

“We basically have to survey kind of what areas are looking like in the inner city, in the suburban areas and in the rural areas that we serve, and sort of make a decision so that our students can navigate schools within a mile, and whether our buses can navigate certain hills and roads and things of that nature and whether our student drivers can get out as well,” Fayette Chief Operating Officer Myron Thompson told WKYT.

This story was originally published January 14, 2025 at 5:19 AM.