All K-12 schools in Kentucky must return to virtual-only classes starting Monday and not hold any in-person classes through the end of the semester, Gov. Andy Beshear has announced..
The Louisville Courier-Journal reports that the latest restriction comes after the state has recorded its three highest daily case totals in the last week for the coronavirus.
The latest record was Saturday, when 3,303 new daily cases were announced. The state set a high for daily coronavirus-related deaths Tuesday, with 33 deaths.
The new restrictions apply to public and private schools, Beshear said.
Elementary schools in counties not considered "red zones," or those with more than 25 positive coronavirus cases per 100,000 people, are allowed to reopen Dec. 7, as long as they also follow the state’s “Healthy At School” guidance, Beshear said.
The goal is "getting through the semester," Beshear says. Middle and high schools are expected to carry out virtual learning until at least Jan. 4.
Kentucky Education Commissioner Jason Glass says he supported Beshear's new order “entirely.”
“I think the governor’s action was necessary, and I appreciate the clarity that it provides our schools given the rising” positivity, hospitalization and death rates related to COVID-19, Glass says. “It was time really that we did something and did something decisive.”
Kentucky Department of Education spokeswoman Toni Konz Tatman says at least 98 of the state’s 171 school districts are already holding virtual-only classes.
Jefferson County Public Schools, which includes Louisville and is the state’s largest district, has solely held virtual classes since March.
