InTouch with Southern Kentucky August 2020 | Page 22

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Everything you need to know about back-to-school
BY JANIE SLAVEN
COMMONWEALTH JOURNAL
As the COVID-19 pandemic
stretches into fall, local school
officials continue to work on plans
to welcome students back for the
2020-21 school year.
The main thing to know is that it’s
parents’ choice for all three school
districts. Students will be registered
for the year for either in-class
instruction or distance learning.
While Pulaski County Schools and
Somerset Independent Schools are
on track to begin classes on August
5, the Science Hill Independent
Board of Education recently
voted to delay Opening Day until
September 9.
Beyond that, parents should be
prepared for answers that still have
a fair share of question marks. All
school districts are working to
comply with COVID-19 guidance
from the Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention as well
as the Kentucky Department for
Public Health, but plans are apt to
change with the peaks and valleys
of COVID-19 case numbers in our
communities. Here’s what we know
so far.
Pulaski County Schools
Back in February, before the
pandemic hit Kentucky, the Pulaski
County Board of Education had
approved a school calendar with
Opening Day as August 5 and it
has remained the favored date of
Pulaski Superintendent Patrick
Richardson.
As amended in July, the school
calendar moved all Professional
Development days to occur prior
to the start of school so that
teachers could be trained as much
as possible for virtual learning. Fall
and Spring Breaks are still on the
calendar as of now, with the last day
of school tentatively set for May 5.
“Our teachers have been working
hard this summer trying to prepare
for virtual instruction,” Supt.
Richardson said, adding that he’s
hopeful that the district’s order for
Chromebooks will have arrived by
the first week of school.
22 • In Touch with Southern Kentucky AUGUST 2020