© 2024 WUKY
background_fid.jpg
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Feel Safe Sending Your Child Back To School? Fayette County Officials Want To Know

Karyn Czar
/
WUKY

Fayette County Public Schools is weighing what it calls a "new model" of in-person instruction and a later start date for the upcoming school year. But the district will also be inquiring parents how safe they feel sending their kids back to class.

Under the tentative plans released Wednesday, Fayette County schools would reopen August 24th for on-campus, face-to-face instruction, but Superintendent Manny Caulk acknowledged the blueprint has to be flexible.

While a team of students, families, teachers, health officials, and other stakeholders have been fashioning different options for reopening since April, the upswing in COVID cases in Lexington could require a course correction by this fall.  

Lt. Gov. Jacqueline Coleman, who also heads up the state education cabinet, has said it's important to get the balance right because of the level of interaction in schools.

"We have folks that show up every day and will interact with more people, more closely, as classroom teachers, than probably anyone else in the community," she said.

To get a feel for how comfortable families and students are with the reopening plans, Fayette County has launched an online survey. Parents can comment on different instructional models and indicate whether they plan to send their kids back to school at fcps.net/survey.

Superintendent Caulk has said the district's reopening plan should prioritize health and safety, be responsive to individual circumstances, and maximize opportunities for in-person instruction.

Josh James fell in love with college radio at Western Kentucky University's student station, New Rock 92 (now Revolution 91.7). After working as a DJ and program director, he knew he wanted to come home to Lexington and try his hand in public radio.