As JCPS reopens buildings, future remote learning decisions to be made on day-by-day basis
LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Kids streamed off of school buses at Carter Traditional Elementary Monday morning, bundled in thick coats against the chilly temperatures.
One of them, a young boy with a matching brown beanie and puffer jacket, hopped off the bus and ran into the arms of Jamie Wyman, Carter's principal.
Both were excited to see each other. It was the first day he and his classmates were back at school in two weeks, following the latest bout of remote learning.
After seeing a drop in staff absences Sunday, Jefferson County Public Schools leaders decided to bring kids back Monday.
By Monday afternoon, they decided to bring all students back Tuesday, too.
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Officials will continue to monitor COVID-19 numbers and absences, and plan on making remote learning decisions on a day-by-day basis.
As of 11 a.m. Monday, 583 JCPS employees were positive for COVID-19 or in quarantine — around 3.5% of district staff. That's down from 4.4% of staff on Jan. 17, when the district announced a second week of NTI.
About 1,590 students are either positive or quarantined because of COVID-19, according to the district's dashboard. That's down from 2,343 on Jan. 17, though students weren't testing as regularly during NTI as they were during in-person classes.
Students can have up to 10 absences excused with a note from a guardian. Any absences past that limit, including those related to fear of COVID-19, are considered unexcused.
JCPS hopes declining COVID-19 case numbers signal they've hit the peak of the omicron surge, but the district remains concerned about the limits on how often they can move classes online.
"In the end, we have to make the decisions that we feel are right for students and staff based on the parameters that the legislature has given us," Superintendent Marty Pollio told reporters Monday morning.
"Untenable" staff shortages forced Pollio to move classes to nontraditional instruction for the last two weeks, using eight of the 10 NTI days allotted under state law.
Related: Want to help with staff shortages in JCPS? How to sign up to substitute teach
Looking ahead, Pollio said he will likely use the last two NTI days for weather events.
That doesn't mean schools are guaranteed to remain open. Staffing issues did not evaporate over the weekend, and district and school leaders needed to "scramble around" to cover classes Monday, Pollio said.
The district is shifting its focus to how to best operate with targeted closures. Each school gets 10 remote learning days to use if needed. The district cannot use remote learning days to close all schools at once.
Pollio said he would prefer to move chunks of schools, like all middle or high schools, to remote learning instead of picking and choosing individual schools to close.
Background: Lawmakers sign off on more virtual instruction for school districts
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Different schools and grade levels are impacted differently by staff absences. Five teachers out in a high school could mean needing to find someone to cover 30 classes, since high schools rotate classes. But five teachers out at an elementary school, where classes stick together, requires a different approach.
Wyman, at Carter, said the nearly 600-student school has had its "ups and downs" with staffing. But they started Monday with "great staffing levels," she said.
"We have everything under control," she told reporters.
Reach Olivia Krauth at okrauth@courierjournal.com and on Twitter at @oliviakrauth.
This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: JCPS in-person learning or NTI decision to be made daily
