LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- Jefferson County Public Schools remain closed Monday and Tuesday while the district tries to solve its transportation problems, and officials said JCPS superintendent Dr. Mary Pollio would hold a news conference at 6 p.m. Monday.Â
WDRB will stream the news conference on WDRB.com, the WDRB News app and the WDRB+ app on Fire, Apple and Roku TV.Â
JCPS immediately decided to cancel classes for Thursday and Friday after some students were hours late getting home from school. Officials later extended that closure to include Monday and Tuesday of this week. Â
The unexpected closures left parents scrambling to find child care.Â
Eloise Otts, a second-grader at Brandeis Elementary School, was excited when she found out she got the teacher she wanted but found herself at summer camp on what would have been the fourth day of school.
Pictured: this image dated Aug. 14, 2023, shows JCPS students at the Frazier History Museum at 829 W. Main Street in downtown Louisville, Ky. (WDRB photo)
Several local businesses offered free or reduced prices to give idle students something to do. The Frazier History Museum announced "pop up" camps at a discounted rate of $50 for JCPS parents who unexpectedly needed child care. More than a dozen students were there Monday, many feeling like summer break never ended.
Frazier plans to continue the camps if school is canceled again.
To help families and students who usually depend on school meals, JCPS opened several sites where meals can be picked up for free.Â
Dakota McKinley, the mother of two JCPS students, took advantage of those sites Monday. She had to take off work when she found out classes were canceled.Â
"I am hoping Wednesday, school will be back in because I can't afford child care for both of my kids," McKinley said.Â
Pictured: this image dated Aug. 14, 2023, shows JCPS students at the Frazier History Museum at 829 W. Main Street in downtown Louisville, Ky. (WDRB photo)
The sites are offering lunch from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and giving snack bags to students to take home. Those sites will be open again Tuesday.
Several other organizations across the city have stepped up to host activities for families, including the Louisville Zoo, the Louisville Nature Center, Jefferson Memorial Forest and the Louisville Free Public Library all offered free admission or reduced prices.Â
While some kids never want summer to end, other students, like Eloise, hope to be back soon.
"I really want to go back, because it's supposed to be my fourth day," she said.
Some state lawmakers are now calling on evaluating whether the district should be split up. JCPS Superintendent Marty Pollio has already indicated he doesn't believe that's a good idea because it would be "disruptive."
CLICK HERE for a list of the businesses offering activities for families while JCPS remains closed.Â
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