JCPS remains open, but preparations underway if coronavirus closure necessary

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) — Jefferson County Public Schools will remain open, but Superintendent Marty Pollio said Wednesday that schools will be prepared to close on short notice as COVID-19 spreads through the state, per Gov. Andy Beshear's recommendation.

Pollio joined Louisville Mayor Greg Fischer at a news conference Wednesday afternoon at Metro Hall to discuss COVID-19 in Louisville.

"At this time learning will continue in our buildings, and JCPS will remain open," Pollio said. "But there was a clear message from the governor that schools should begin to prepare for that possibility in the very near future."

Pollio joined superintendents from around the state on a conference call with Beshear on Wednesday afternoon. Beshear said Wednesday morning he is not yet recommending that schools suspend classes but said districts should be prepared to close them with as little as 72 hours notice if necessary.

Beshear said such a recommendation could come "as early as Monday" during the conference call, according to Toni Konz Tatman, interim communications director for KDE.

"Ultimately it will be up to each superintendent when we make that call," she quoted Beshear as saying in a social media post. "... We need to be able to have the speed, if we reach this point, to be able to do it."

Only Harrison County Schools, a district of fewer than 3,000 students, has been closed this week as the first positive COVID-19 case in Kentucky was confirmed in that area.

Since then, four additional Harrison County residents have been diagnosed with COVID-19. The county's five cases was the most in the state as of Wednesday.

After Beshear declared a state of emergency, Boone County Schools announced that it will be utilizing the Kentucky Department of Education's non-traditional instruction program for up to a month, closing schools to students and having them learn from home.

The district does not participate in the state's NTI program but will be submitting an application for approval, according to Tatman. Kevin Brown, interim education commissioner, said in a statement that he will ask the Kentucky Board of Education for a blanket waiver to speed up the application process during the board's March 18 meeting.

There are no confirmed COVID-19 cases in Boone County. The district of more than 20,000 students will be the largest to close in Kentucky amid concerns of coronavirus spread.

In a letter to families Wednesday, Boone County Schools Superintendent Randy Poe said the district would be using NTI days starting March 16 and potentially through April 20, although that could change if Beshear lifts his state of emergency declaration sooner.

Boone County families will need to contact their schools to find out if school and athletic events, including field trips, will go on as planned, according to the letter. The district will also provide breakfasts and lunches for those who qualify for free or reduced-price meals and by request for other families.

"Non-Traditional Instruction and event cancellations are being done out of an abundance of caution and to help stem the tide of the spread of the COVID-19 virus," Poe wrote. "Your child's health and safety are our first priority."

Eighty-three of the state's 172 school districts participate in the program, including Harrison County Schools. JCPS is not a participant in the state's NTI program.

Pollio said during Wednesday's news conference that JCPS students and staff will be prohibited from out-of-state travel until further notice and that the district's nutrition services office is working on a plan to provide meals for students if schools are closed.

The district is also developing supplemental learning materials for students at all grade levels to take home in case schools are closed, Pollio said. Those resources will be available online and in hard copies, he said.

"We will be distributing those to students as soon as we are informed of any recommendation for closure," Pollio said.

The University of Louisville, University of Kentucky, Western Kentucky University and Bellarmine University said Wednesday they will suspend classroom instruction and move classes to strictly online starting later this month and into early April in response to the coronavirus outbreak.

The KDE is allowing districts to apply for the state's NTI program for the rest of the 2019-20 school year.

Eight people have been confirmed with the coronavirus in Kentucky. Five of those are located in Harrison County, two are in Fayette County, and one is in Jefferson County.

Fischer said Wednesday that the Louisville patient, a 69-year-old man, has been sent home from the hospital to continue his isolation at home after his condition has improved.

Sixty-four people have been tested for the virus as of 5:45 p.m. Tuesday. Of those 64, 57 tested negative, eight tested positive and one came back inconclusive.

Beshear outlined a total of eight things that have been done or should be done to curtail the spread of COVID-19 in a news release Wednesday afternoon:

Instructed school districts to be prepared to close on short notice, as short as 72 hours.
Closed all state prisons to visitors.
Encouraged every individual in Kentucky, in particular those over 60 and those with chronic medical conditions, to do what they can to avoid large gatherings and minimize time in groups and public spaces.
Canceled the Governor’s Prayer Breakfast out of an abundance of caution.
Asked places of worship to cancel services temporarily due to the proximity.
Suspended out-of-state travel for state employees.
Urged more businesses to allow employees to tele-commute and to provide paid sick leave.
Asked people to spread out in meeting and work spaces by increasing distance between seats and taking other similar actions.

The state has implemented a coronavirus information hotline at 1-800-722-5725.

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