FRANKFORT, Ky. — Gov. Andy Beshear says he won’t recommend delaying in-person classes beyond Sept. 28, the date he requested schools delay those lessons last month.
What You Need To Know
- Beshear says he won't recommend delaying in-person classes after Sept. 28
- His office set up new reporting site for schools
- Data from schools, health departments to be sorted based on number of cases
- Department for Public Health may step in if statewide positivity rate reaches over six percent
“Let me be clear that there is not be another overall recommendation coming from me or my office post-Sept. 28,” Beshear said. “What’s going to be provided is the information to make a week-by-week decision in our various school districts and counties based on [coronavirus] prevalence and what public health experts believe is the right course based on that prevalence.”
His office set up a new reporting site for public and private schools where school officials have to report coronavirus activity every day they’re in session.
“Half a year into this COVID-19 crisis, we really have learned a lot,” Lt. Gov. Jacqueline Coleman said. “Our knowledge of this virus continues to evolve and so must our actions.”
Data from school districts and local health departments will be sorted based on the number of cases, and schools are asked to follow a color-coded guide to how they should respond to local outbreaks.
“Tracking the virus in a uniform and systematic way will also provide local and state-level pictures of the reopening conditions that best serve to keep the virus out of our schools and in turn, keep it from spreading across our schools,” Kentucky Board of Education Chair Lu Young said.
The Kentucky Department for Public Health may step in if the statewide positivity rate climbs to more than six percent or if hospital capacity becomes an issue.
“We haven’t been over the six-percent (positivity rate) for months so this is going to give a wide array of latitude for local control,” Public Health Commissioner Dr. Steven Stack said.
If a county has more than 25 cases per 100,000 people daily, schools will be asked to suspend in-person learning until cases drop to fewer than 10 per 100,000 people. More details on the specific guidelines can be found here.
The guidelines announced Monday also include a requirement for parents to report if their child tests positive for the coronavirus or needs to be quarantined to the school district within 24 hours.
Universities and colleges will follow a similar system to report cases to the Kentucky Department for Public Health.