Superintendent Letter to Families
Hello Hawk Families!
Even though the new school year did not begin with the normalcy we had all envisioned, it has been great having students back to in-person learning. Like every other school district in the state, we are experiencing just how transmissible this delta variant can be, making it a challenge to keep students in school and out of quarantine or isolation. While teachers and staff work diligently to keep your children healthy and safe each day, I realize the frustration you must feel and questions you might have regarding the district’s decision-making. This is understandable because the decisions we are currently making do not correlate with the decisions we made last year when active cases and incidence rates were much lower than they are now.
Even though we are still in a pandemic, school districts across the state do not have the same supports in place as last year. For instance, last school year, because of the pandemic, we had access to unlimited NTI days. As a result of HB 208 that passed during the 2021 legislative session, this year, we are limited to only 10 days. With the flu season still ahead along with the possibility of inclement weather that could result in school closures, we need to be judicious and intentional with those days since we don’t have very many.
The way current state regulations are written, if a single classroom or school were to experience a high number of positive cases or quarantines, we would not be permitted to move only that school or classroom to NTI (virtual learning). To use those NTI days, we would be forced to move the entire district to virtual learning, even though all schools may not be currently impacted.
After conferring with my team, we determined virtual learning is not currently in the best interest of elementary students and their families. For that reason, we have held off on moving the entire district to NTI.
In the winter, we were able to return to in-person learning using an alternating-day schedule we referred to as A/B or blue/white schedule. If given the opportunity, this hybrid learning model is what we would be using currently district-wide. It would reduce the number of students in schools each day, which in turn would reduce the number of close contacts, resulting in fewer students being quarantined, and would enable students to remain in school for in-person learning. Unfortunately, the way current regulations are written, we were not able to move forward with this type of hybrid schedule.
Some may be wondering how we are impacted financially by remaining in school even though so many students are out due to the COVID virus. Because our funding is determined by average daily attendance (ADA), under normal circumstances, if we were to experience a similar number of absences during the school year, for the flu or some other illness, we would need to shut down until students were well enough to attend. If not, attendance would be extremely low on these days, hurting the district’s ADA calculation for the school year. Due to emergency regulation 702 KAR 7.125E, issued by the Kentucky Board of Education (KBE), we can receive average daily attendance for our students who either test positive or are quarantined as we are providing student work/support while they are out. This is important because we continue to receive funding for the large number of students that are absent for isolation and quarantine. If we were not getting funded for them, we would have to cancel school and make up the days.
In regards to why students are still required to wear masks after the governor canceled his Executive Order, the answer is simple: Emergency regulation 702 KAR 1:195E, approved by the Kentucky Board of Education August 12, requires that all individuals, including students, school employees, contractors, and visitors wear a face covering that covers both the mouth and nose while inside school facilities. As with all regulations, this carries with it the force of law, and our local Board of Education has no choice but to abide.
I have also been asked on numerous occasions about how high COVID numbers need to get before I would consider closing schools. Based on discussions I have had with the Lincoln Trail District Health Department, there are currently no metrics in place to determine the optimal time to close schools to in-person learning. I was told we can use the matrix from last year, but that guidance just tells us to return to NTI days should the incidence rate reach the critical category (25 cases per 100 thousand people). As stated previously, we do not have access to unlimited NTI days, so we could only afford one district-wide closure. Also, in regards to a ten-day NTI shutdown, we do not believe a short-term closure would be beneficial at this point during this delta variant wave. Active cases continue to increase and we have no idea when they will peak. A ten-day closure would certainly reduce the number of close contacts and allow those students already being quarantined to return, but the cycle would only begin again after students returned. Then we would be out of NTI days and forced to close schools with the expectation of adding these days at the end of our calendar.
In closing, if you have not already been vaccinated, I urge you to consider doing so. Having all eligible staff, students, parents, and community members fully vaccinated is our best chance at getting back to full in-person learning, while reducing the chances for additional school closures. If you would like to make an appointment for a free vaccine, please call our Healthy Kids Clinic at (844)435-0900 and one of our school nurses will be happy to assist you.
I hope this letter answers questions you may have and sheds some light on why we are proceeding the way we are. Having similar flexibility in making decisions regarding school closures during this pandemic will require additional legislative action. Until that time, our current course of action is our only course of action. Should you still have questions, please feel free to call me at (270)358-4111 or email me at david.raleigh@larue.kyschools.us.
Thank you,
David Raleigh,
Superintendent