CLARK COUNTY, Ind. (WDRB) -- Kentuckiana school districts are hoping for the best but preparing for the worst as they start thinking about the 2020-21 school year, which begins this fall.
At the Greater Clark County Schools, Superintendent Mark Laughner isn't sitting idly by.
“Gov. (Eric) Holcomb said, you know, he won’t make a decision on schools until around July 4, you know, which sort of puts us in a bind as a school district because we start school, according to our calendar, 23 days later," he said. “We’re putting together various models whether, you know, that’s a hybrid blending learning-type model, maybe we’re running students and schools in different shifts or maybe we’re still online.”
Greater Clark sent out a survey asking parents what they’d recommend: traditional classes, a blend of traditional and virtual learning, just virtual learning until the pandemic ends or virtual learning through the entire next school year.
Mark Laughner, Superintendent of Greater Clark County Schools
“We need to set up a model that, you know, meets the needs of each one of those responses," Laughner sajkid.
Across the river, Kentucky school districts are also weighing their options for the fall.
Kentucky Department of Education Interim Commissioner Kevin Brown has floated several options about when school could resume: an early start, maybe in July; a traditional start; or even a later start maybe after Labor Day.
“Basically, we need every district to be nimble and to be able to adjust what could be a changing public health landscape over the fall," Brown said during a Tuesday tele-meeting with superintendent.
JCPS Superintendent Marty Pollio said his district is still considering when and how it’ll move forward.
“We have heard all of these options as potentials in the past couple of weeks and are planning for all of those scenarios," he said.
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