Hardin County Schools releases plans for return to in-person learning, online academy

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- Hardin County Schools has released its plans and health guidelines for the 2020-21 school year.

Families will have two options: sending students to "traditional" in-person instruction or enrolling students in HCS' Online Learning Academy. On its "Returning to School" website, the district says it "believes the best place for our students is in the school building" but understands some parents may want to keep their children at home.

All students and staff who will return to campuses and classrooms for in-person instruction will have their temperatures screened daily and will be asked to practice social distancing in common areas, according to the "Returning to School" website. Floors will be marked to ensure students keep a safe distance from one another, and hand sanitizing stations will be placed throughout schools.

"We'll be using sanitizing materials often and disinfecting classrooms and common areas with much much more frequency," said John Wright, a spokesperson for HCS, in a June 24 story with WDRB News.

In conjunction with the state's Healthy at School guidelines, HCS students in grades 1-12 will be "required to wear masks during transitions and in classrooms when appropriate social distancing is not possible," the district said. Masks will be provided for students and staff who do not bring their own.

The district is also asking families to ensure students do not have a fever before they get on buses. A mask rule will also be enforced for first through twelfth graders on buses "where social distancing cannot be accommodated."

The district said students enrolled in the Online Learning Academy should not go into the school year expecting a similar experience to HCS' nontraditional instruction (NTI) in the spring. The program calls for daily attendance in online classes following a set schedule, daily participation in assignments and "consistent communication and feedback between teacher, student, and parents."

Teachers in the Online Learning Academy will be from schools across the district and may not be from students' districted school, HCS said.

"Please know that the level of expectation and accountability will resemble that of the traditional classroom," the district said on its "Returning to School" website.

Students who chose the Online Learning Academy will be enrolled for the entire quarter or trimester and will need "a reliable device, like Chromebook, laptop or desktop computer," the district said.

"Cell phones will not allow students to complete the level of work needed for this learning choice," the district said on its "Returning to School" website.

Online Learning Academy students will be allowed to participate in extracurricular activities if they meet eligibility requirements, according to HCS.

The district said information on its "Returning to School" website "is subject to change" as officials continue to review the state's Healthy at School guidelines and consult public health officials.

More specific reopening plans will be announced closer to the start of the school year, which is set for Aug. 6 but may be pushed back a couple of weeks. Hardin County Schools Superintendent Teresa Morgan will suggest delaying the first day of school to Aug. 24 during an upcoming school board meeting, according to a news release from the school district.

For more information, click here. For details about the return to HCS athletic activities, click here.

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