LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- Jefferson County Public Schools will start with at least six weeks of nontraditional instruction after the district’s 2020-21 reopening plan was approved Tuesday by the Jefferson County Board of Education.
The board unanimously approved the district's reopening plan during a special meeting Tuesday, joining other urban school systems that are opting to start the 2020-21 school year remotely as COVID-19 cases increase across the country.
“We have, I believe, no other option that to go to our guiding principle around safety and health and recommend that we start the year” with nontraditional instruction, JCPS Superintendent Marty Pollio said, referencing the escalation of local COVID-19 cases and quoting recent concerns raised by Kentucky Department for Public Health Commissioner Dr. Steven Stack.
Pollio said the district will evaluate whether it’s safe to resume in-person classes after the initial six-week period.
Families will also have the option of enrolling their children in a virtual academy if classes reopen at that time, according to the district’s reopening plan.
Every board member agreed with the district's recommendation to start the school year with nontraditional instruction. Most teachers and staff had indicated they weren't comfortable returning to in-person instruction in surveys conducted by JCPS and the Jefferson County Teachers Association before the recent uptick in COVID-19 cases in Louisville and Kentucky.
"I am a JCPS parent," said Chris Brady, who represents District 7. "I want my boys back in school and I want them playing sports and I want them to have a full school experience, but unfortunately we really can't do that and guarantee the health and safety of our students."
Linda Duncan, who represents District 5, said her decision to support the district's reopening plan was "not difficult at all."
"When everybody understands that students can asymptomatically carry this virus, to me the game is over," she said.
The district’s plan for distance learning will provide an updated nontraditional instruction platform, dubbed "NTI 2.0," for students and teachers starting Aug. 25. Schools may be allowed to briefly reopen to small groups ahead of that starting date to allow students to meet with their teachers and pick up necessary materials, Pollio said.
JCPS, like other school districts throughout Kentucky, transitioned to remote learning in the closing months of the 2019-20 school year on the recommendation of Gov. Andy Beshear as COVID-19 began to spread. More than half of Kentucky's school districts, including JCPS, offered nontraditional instruction for the first time ever in response to COVID-19.
This time, schools will need to be "flexible" and adapt their nontraditional instruction offerings to meet the needs of their students, Pollio said.
Some educators were "very active and involved" during the district's initial offering of distance learning while some families "wanted more interaction and didn't get what they needed," he said.
The district will continue to "standardize" expectations for teachers during nontraditional instruction, such as how they should communicate and work with their students remotely, he said.
"We know that that's going to have to improve," Pollio said.
Teachers will be encouraged to develop project-based lessons rather than short-term assignments to not only keep students engaged in their learning but also allow them time away from their computers, according to the district’s reopening plan.
"We are not recommending that any students spend all day every day on the computer, and in fact we are strongly recommending that our teachers use this as an opportunity to engage students through connected, project-based kinds of experiences," Chief Academic Officer Carmen Coleman said.
"We want our kids to problem-solve and design and create rather than lots of short-term assignments that might not be so connected."
While grading during the district’s first foray in nontraditional instruction focused on improving rather than hurting final grades, that process “will be more clear and potentially more familiar for everyone” in this iteration of distance learning, Coleman said.
Students with disabilities will continue to receive the services they need at home, with materials available online and in physical copies.
"We're adapting the web-based curriculum to support either low-tech or no-tech options for modifications," said Kim Chevalier, head of the district's Exceptional Child Education.
Teachers will help parents replicate learning tools typically found in special education classrooms for home learning, and the district will provide training so parents can monitor progress in their children, she said.
JCPS will also need to ensure that students' individual education plans are followed "with fidelity," Chevalier said.
"Our goal is to intentionally stay connected with our students and families while providing comparable IEP services and improving the outcomes of our students," she said.
For students learning English, distance learning will focus on language development and providing individual supports, said Alicia Averette, assistant superintendent of academic support programs.
JCPS is also developing more culturally responsive learning for its curriculum during nontraditional instruction, with an emphasis on the contributions and experiences of Black people in the U.S., said Chief Equity Officer John Marshall.
"The teachable moment that we have with Louisville being an epicenter of racial justice is something that we have really made sure our teachers and principals are going to be trained on and covered and making sure that they can have courageous conversations around race, racial justice, inequities and cultural competence," he said.
The district is working to ensure students have devices and connectivity to complete nontraditional instruction lessons. Pollio has cited estimates that 30% of Jefferson County homes lack internet access.
JCPS made about 25,000 Chromebooks available to low-income and special needs students last school year and purchased another 30,000 to distribute before the start of the 2020-21 school year. Pollio has said about 11,000 hotspots with unlimited data will be provided to students who lack access to high-speed internet at home.
Community organizations like St. Vincent de Paul are also being contacted to help ensure JCPS students have internet access at their homes as well, Marshall said.
Physical copies of assignments will also be available for students, according to the district's reopening plan.
The district is also exploring the possibility of opening learning hubs for targeted students, Pollio said. If opened at schools or other locations provided by community partners, those learning hubs would provide services for high-need students as well as meals and computer access.
Teachers might be offered stipends to work at those learning centers, and public health guidance regarding COVID-19 mitigation would be followed if they open, he said.
"We would have it in smaller numbers than a school," Pollio said. "... We would spread extensively throughout the building, and so we are planning that, but I have to say that will all be based on the data as we get closer whether we can do that safely or not."
JCPS must also be prepared to handle a possible housing insecurity crisis as a moratorium on evictions draws to a close, board members said.
Vice Chairman Chris Kolb, who represents District 2, suggested that the Louisville Metro Council invest more in initiatives like the Affordable Housing Trust Fund and extend the local moratorium on evictions.
"That is so impactful both in a positive and negative way on kids whether or not they have housing," he said.
Board member James Craig, who represents District 3, said the moratorium could end around the start of the 2020-21 school year and disrupt the housing situations of many students in JCPS, which served about 6,000 homeless students last year.
"We could have a real problem on our hands when we get back into NTI in the fall," he said, calling the situation a potential "crisis in our student population."
The 2020-21 season for fall sports also remains uncertain for JCPS teams, which are scheduled to begin practices Aug. 3.
The district is consulting with the Kentucky High School Athletic Association, and Pollio says JCPS may seek to move starting dates depending on the progress of COVID-19.
"It may be different than usual," Pollio said, adding that any decision would be made with the health and safety of participants in mind. "I think college athletics are exploring that right now, so high school athletics need to do the same thing and give every opportunity for all of our athletes to participate."
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