HARDIN COUNTY, Ky. — Hardin County Schools decided to stick with their back to school plan despite Governor Andy Beshear's recommendation to delay in-person classes until Sept. 28.
On Wednesday, the school board voted to begin the school year on Aug. 24 as planned with in-person and virtual learning.
One board member voted against it. The other four members said they made the decision to keep their current plan in place because that's what those who voted for them wanted.
According to the district's reopening plan, students attending classes in-person must wear masks and follow guidelines for social distancing and proper hygiene. High school students will follow an A/B schedule, meaning students will spend some days in the classroom and others at home.
For students not comfortable with attending in-person classes, a virtual option is available. Students in the HCS Online Academy will receive daily instruction and interaction from a teacher virtually while following a set schedule. The district stressed that the Online Academy would be different from the non-traditional instruction (NTI) that students were given in the spring when the coronavirus pandemic forced schools to close.
On Aug. 10, Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear recommended that all Kentucky schools wait until at least Sept. 28 to resume in-person instruction, due to the rise of COVID-19 cases in the state.
Some districts have followed Beshear's guidance, electing to begin the school year virtually. Jefferson County Public Schools, one of the largest districts in the state, is beginning the year with at least six weeks of NTI.
Catholic schools in Kentucky are proceeding with in-person learning as early as next week. Many school districts in southern Indiana resumed classes in early August, and some have already reported positive cases of COVID-19.
Make it easy to keep up-to-date with more stories like this. Download the WHAS11 News app now. For Apple or Android users.
Have a news tip? Email assign@whas11.com, visit our Facebook page or Twitter feed.