OLDHAM COUNTY, Ky. — Oldham County Schools students won't be returning to the classroom next week due to COVID-19.
What You Need To Know
- Oldham County Schools won't return to in-person instruction Jan. 11
- Decision made after consulting with local health department
- In-person instruction will be postponed for at least a week
- District will continue to evaluate COVID-19 numbers on a weekly basis
In a letter published to the district's website, Superintendent Greg Schultz said a "successful return to in-person instruction is unlikely on January 11," when students were originally slated to return. The decision was made after consulting with the Oldham County Health Department (OCHD).
In-person instruction will be postponed for at least a week, the letter says.
The district will continue to evaluate COVID-19 numbers with OCHD on a weekly basis and make a determination about returning in-person by Thursday evening for the following week.
"While the majority of students, parents, and staff want to be back in person, we must do so in a manner that has risk mitigation at its core and offers a reasonable chance at success," Schultz wrote. "There will be some districts that will return earlier than Oldham County, and some that will return later or not at all."
According to state data, Oldham County is a red zone for coronavirus cases, meaning there are 25+ positive cases of the virus for every 100,000 people.
On Jan. 5, 2021, the state incidence rate for Oldham County was 94.7 per 100,000 residents. The local incidence rate, which Schultz said excludes cases from correctional facilities and long-term care facilities, was 53.25 per 100,000 residents.