5 things JCPS families need to know as 2022-23 school year begins

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- Classes begin Wednesday at Jefferson County Public Schools, and much has changed at Kentucky's largest school district since schools closed for summer break.

Here are five things JCPS families should know for the start of the 2022-23 school year:

Masks are back

With Jefferson County in "red" for high COVID-19 transmission levels and hospitalizations, masks are required on JCPS buses and inside district facilities for at least the first few days of the 2022-23 school year. JCPS is only one of six large school districts across the U.S. with mandatory masking in place as of Tuesday, according to data aggregator Burbio.

While the Jefferson County Board of Education unanimously passed COVID-19 protocols for the 2022-23 school year that includes mandatory masking when local COVID-19 metrics hit their highest levels, at least one board member, Linda Duncan, believes face coverings should be recommended and optional.

Many agree.

Results of a poll by the Jefferson County Teachers Association found 56.8% of the more than 2,600 respondents oppose or strongly oppose the district's masking policy while 36.4% support or strongly support the requirement when local COVID-19 metrics hit "red." A second JCTA survey is being conducted to "further validate the results" amid concerns of external interference, JCTA President Brent McKim said in a Sunday email.

About 150 protested the district's masking policy outside the VanHoose Education Center before the Aug. 2 school board meeting.

Masks will be optional if Jefferson County falls into the "yellow" and "green" coronavirus categories under metrics formulated by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, according to district COVID-19 policies.

Expect 'significant' bus delays

JCPS has about 70 uncovered bus routes to begin the 2022-23 school year, meaning some students will experience delays on their runs to and from school. District officials warned families Friday to expect "significant delays" in bus service as the district works to hire more bus drivers.

Marcus Dobbs, executive administrator of transportation for JCPS, said the district is in the process of hiring 50 drivers and expects another 40-50 prospective drivers to complete their applications or get scheduled for job interviews soon.

"If your child is on one of those uncovered runs or delayed buses, and you have the ability to drive them to and from school or to carpool in any way, we encourage you to do that," Dobbs said during a Friday news conference. "That will help us out tremendously."

JCPS launched a new bus route delay dashboard that will be updated weekly. Updated information on buses making multiple runs, the schools they serve and anticipated delays will be available after 2 p.m. Saturdays.

The longest anticipated delays listed on the dashboard are 95 minutes for two buses serving the Georgia Chaffee Teenage Parent Program.

Other delays are expected to hit or exceed an hour. Pollio has said tardiness because of bus delays will be excused.

Ongoing classroom vacancies

Superintendent Marty Pollio has said he expects every JCPS classroom to have certified instructors by the time schools open Wednesday. He put the number of certified teaching vacancies across JCPS below 100 during a Friday news conference, and updated figures were not immediately available Tuesday.

"We'll still be posting vacancies to make sure we fill them," Pollio told reporters Monday.

JCPS is using staff with teaching credentials, such as district resource teachers and instructional coaches, to help fill uncovered classrooms on 12-week rotations.

Other classroom-level vacancies remain, namely instructional assistants.

Of the 154 classified instructional openings posted by JCPS, 129 are instructional assistants.

Most of those instructional assistant openings, 82, are in special education.

Pollio said "hurdles" must be overcome to hire more instructional assistants, namely mandatory assessments they must pass before they're hired.

"It's not just a walk in the door and get them hired, and that may be something we need to talk to the state about, but we're very low in instructional assistants," Pollio said Monday.

School security team in effect

The 2022-23 school year will be the first for the new JCPS security team comprised of school safety officers and school security administrators.

JCPS will have 16 officers and 14 district security monitors providing coverage for schools in 20 geographic zones centered around high schools and the middle and elementary schools that surround them.

Chief Operations Officer Chris Perkins said the 14 security monitors are working to enroll in law enforcement training.

"We're committed to interviewing candidates, and our onboarding will continue throughout the school year," Perkins said Friday.

School safety administrators will be assigned to every JCPS high school and middle school, with six sharing coverage of the district's elementary schools.

'Test to stay' and other quarantine measures continue

Those exposed to COVID-19 cases inside and outside schools can expect similar quarantine measures to continue into the 2022-23 school year.

The district's COVID-19 health policies say unvaccinated students and staff will be recommended for the JCPS "test to stay" program to keep them in schools if they're identified as close contacts to someone who has COVID-19.

Those identified as close contacts who don't show symptoms of coronavirus infection will be tested at their school or work location for COVID-19 over a seven-day period through the "test to stay" program, if they participate. Even if they test negative for infection, the district's protocols call for participants to wear well-fitting masks while they're in "test to stay."

Those who test positive for COVID-19 will be sent into isolation, but they can exit that status if they are fever-free for 24 hours without medication and their symptoms improve after five days of quarantine. They must wear masks through the 10th day after their positive test, district policies say.

Those still experiencing symptoms on the sixth day of isolation should contact their school or work location and stay in quarantine until their fevers break for 24 hours.

JCPS will continue to conduct contact tracing during the 2022-23 school year, and the district will provide COVID-19 caseloads again through a data dashboard.