WOODFORD COUNTY, Ky. —  Scott Hawkins is the Superintendent of Woodford County Public Schools. It is his job to develop a plan to distance the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic from the start of the 2020 – 2021 school year.

"This is a year that will be unlike any other. I'm entering my 33rd year in education, and I've never seen anything like this." Hawkins added, "Things that you normally take for granted, like just kids coming into the building. There's got to be a process for that now, because we're going to be taking temperatures. How you do lunch, how you do breakfast is very different because of trying to maintain a certain level of distance for students to be able to eat. How students are going to ride the bus. Because they'll be in a mask now on a bus. And we're going to take their temperature as they board a bus, but everything is a logistical process."

Logistical processes that the school system kept in mind when they decided to offer parents the option of either a traditional school education or a virtual school education this upcoming year.

Mom Stacy Thurman says deciding how her children will attend school is difficult.

"It's a really hard decision and there's no simple answer to be quite honest. It's a tough decision as a parent to make."

Hawkins says the plan offers options to parents. 

"One is all virtual where students would learn from home. And one is in person. Both of them are five days a week. And so, based on those two options, we gave our parents a choice as to what would be best for their child, and their family."

For Cory Cooley, who with his wife is preparing their 5-year-old daughter Avery for kindergarten, the educational decision was an easy one. He said, "We really sat her down and asked her, and it was really important to her, for her to go. She's really excited. And we just are glad that we have that choice."

Although the schools will be open to in-person education, the precautions put in place to protect students and staff will be very evident. Drinking fountains, one direction hallways, and social distancing in the classrooms are just a few of the many new rules. But even with the new rules, Thurman says allowing parents to have a choice for their children’s education is a big step.

"I think that it's important, because so many of our choices have been taken away due to the pandemic. To have a little bit of control over what we could do as a family."

Keeping students and staff safe while providing a positive educational experience is a top priority. 

Although the pandemic may have changed how instruction will be delivered this upcoming school year, Hawkins says Woodford County Public Schools remain focused on being a place where great minds meet.

"I think that's when we're at our best. And that's when our kids are at their best. And so, it's to create the best opportunities we can, but also to get everybody back in our schools, as soon as we possibly can. So long as it's safe."