LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- Several Kentucky school districts had to make the call to return to virtual learning as more counties around the state are seeing higher rates of COVID-19 infections.
Students in Bullitt County Public Schools, Meade County Schools and Bardstown City Schools will begin nontraditional instruction (NTI) on Monday, the districts' leaders announced to parents heading into the weekend.
Each of the counties entered the "red zone" due to their coronavirus incidence rates surpassing 25 average daily cases per 100,000 residents based on a seven-day rolling average, according to data released by the state.
Under state guidance, districts in counties that reach red should transition to remote learning until their incidence rates drop.
Bullitt County Public Schools will conduct NTI for at least the next week, while Bardstown City Schools will hold virtual classes until Nov. 5 due to an influx of teachers in quarantine after six weeks of in-person learning.
"Some of those were related to COVID-19, but it's primarily through quarantine that staff was being impacted by," Bardstown City Schools Superintendent Ryan Clark said. "The vast majority of those were happening where staff were being exposed by a spouse."
Bullitt County Public Schools Superintendent Jesse Bacon told families that "no one is more disappointed" than him in the decision to close schools next week. He made the decision after consulting with the Bullitt County Health Department early Friday, according to a letter sent out to parents.
"With the amount of student movement and the number of potential exposures at the secondary level, we are working on a plan to address that concern and hopefully give us a better opportunity to remain open to in-person learning for a longer period of time," Bacon said in the letter.
"It is my hope (and there is some reason to be optimistic) that next Thursday's incident map will have us back to a place where we can resume in-person learning on November 4th," he added.
Bullitt County's COVID-19 incidence rate was 26.4 new daily coronavirus cases per 100,000 residents based on a seven-day rolling average. In an email to WDRB, Bacon said, "We have not seen an increase in confirmed positive cases within the school, but we have seen an increase in the number of students and staff members that are in isolation or quarantine as a result of an exposure outside the school setting."
Other metrics factored in Bacon's decision to transition to remote learning, such as how many students and staff have been quarantined due to COVID-19 exposure. The district has reported 41 students and two employees currently in quarantine, according to the state's self-reporting dashboard for schools.
Bacon said about 70% of students chose to come back to school in-person.
Amy Morrison has four children in BCPS and said they had just started to get adjusted to going back to class in-person again. However, she also understands the school system is in a tough spot.
"I think I'm on the fence about it. I want to keep them all safe and not get sick, but how are they supposed to learn? I can't teach four kids all by myself," she said.
Morrison said she hopes the district is able to find a way to keep kids in school as the year progresses.
"A few of my girls they need the extra help. Some aren't good with change, and they definitely need to be in school to get that extra help," she said.
Bacon also noted that transportation and custodial departments have been "hit hard" with coronavirus exposures outside the district in recent days.
Finding substitute teachers has been an issue for BCPS, which Bacon noted in his Friday letter.
"We are actively recruiting additional help, so if you know someone who might be interested, please send them our way," he said. "Even if we were in the 'orange' or 'yellow' category, it would have been tough for us to continue next week in person in order to provide the necessary services to ensure safety and smooth operations."
Bacon said a decision has not been made yet on how extracurricular activities will go next week.
"Even though we are going to be learning remotely next week, we want to keep our students as involved as we can," he said in his email to WDRB.
"We have been successful with the protocols and procedures that we have in place limiting possible exposures during other times we have utilized remote learning so this is something we're going to take a further look at."
Meade County Schools announced its decision to go remote Friday on the district's Facebook page, but the plan isn't set in stone. In-person classes may continue as planned if the county's incidence rate drops from 26.5 to below 25.
In-person learning is still underway at other nearby districts like Hardin County Schools. However, the district posted a video to its YouTube page offering parents ways to prepare for NTI should it become necessary.
"When we become a red district, and I'm sure at some point we will be, that does not automatically mean we will go with NTI," HCS Superintendent Teresa Morgan said.
Instead, Morgan said district officials will look at where specific outbreaks are happening in the community — like schools or nursing homes — to guide their decision about whether to transition to NTI.
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