LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- Jefferson County Public Schools sent a letter to families Thursday saying that non-traditional instruction will be used "when possible this year" instead of canceling school in the event of winter weather.

The proposed change came up for discussion at a Jefferson County School Board meeting in November, a plan that also included doing away with one- or two-hour delays in response to winter weather. That means school would either be a "Go" or "No Go" day.

"Based on the predicted forecast for the Louisville area in the coming days, we want to ensure that your JCPS student has the resources needed to continue learning at home, if needed," JCPS said in the letter to families. "Today, your JCPS student is bringing home materials, a device/charger, or both in preparation for possible NTI in coming school days."

District officials said advance notification will remain the same for families as it is now, coming from School Messenger, local news outlets, JCPS school media and the district's website.

"In the event of NTI, the school will send out the school-specific NTI plan through the school's digital communication platform," JCPS said in a letter to families. "Short-term NTI is asynchronous and self-paced, meaning students will not be receiving live, online instruction from a teacher. During NTI days, all before school and after school activities are canceled."

The decision has some parents weighing the pros and cons to opting for NTI.

Sally Evans' twin daughters attend Lincoln Elementary Performing Arts School. She said she's thankful NTI is an option, but it will be another adjustment for parents to figure out if JCPS calls for an NTI day.

"Think it's really hard for parents that especially have to work, and I know for us we already have a really late start time so we’ve kind of adjusted schedules for that, so it's just another accommodation we as parents are trying to make," said JCPS Parent Sally Evans.

Debra Obannon's grandson attends Atherton High School. She said her son thrived during NTI learning during COVID and is satisfied with the district's call.

"When the children do the snow days it's rough on teachers to get them back on track, then they have to go back, redo, and try to move forward, where as NTI you can just you know move forward," Obannon said.

Jefferson County Public Schools sent a letter to families Thursday saying that non-traditional instruction will be used "when possible this year" instead of canceling school in the event of winter weather.

Obannon also said another positive, is families do not have to worry about making up missed school days.

"Why would you want to delay summer break when you can be out laying by the pool somewhere?" Obannon said.

Kentucky allows districts to take up to 10 NTI days. One stipulation is that the entire district needs to be on virtual learning.

JCPS said there are some exceptions, where individual schools may close. For example, if a building experiences a pipe burst or power outage, and students cannot safely attend, that individual school can transition students to virtual learning.

JCPS has experienced several bus delays because of bus driver shortages this year. The district consolidated bus routes and staggered school start times this year to help with the issue. Bus issues were so bad that school was canceled after the first day of school for more than a week. The decision to implement NTI on what would normally be snow days could be a response to those canceled days in August.

JCPS transports around 65,000 students each day. District officials said they currently have 568 routes and 574 full-time drivers. But, on average, 51 drivers call out each day.

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