LOUISVILLE, Ky. — After several days of students having non-traditional instruction days because of the flooding. Thursday was the first regular full day of school for all Jefferson County Public Schools.

What You Need To Know

  • Flooding forced Jefferson County Public Schools to order non-traditional instruction for students for three days

  • Thursday students had a two-hour delay and Friday is a regular scheduled school day

  • Flooding affected 65 schools, leaving approximately 200 bus stops inaccessible

  • Students who cannot get to school because of flooding  or are displaced by water will have an excused absence

Flooded streets and bus stops. JCPS Chief of Communications Carolyn Callahan said this school year has been challenging with all the severe weather.

“We have had ice, we’ve had snow, we’ve had frigid temperatures, and now we’ve had this flooding,” said Callahan.

To prepare for students to return to the classroom, Callahan said The district’s operations team drove hundreds of bus routes.

“They were looking at all of our bus stops to see what kind of condition those stops were in. Are they flooded? Is there easy access for students to get to them? Does it make sense that a student would be able to stand here safely? Are we able to get to these bus stops?” said Callahan.

After discovering there were around 200 bus stops that were inaccessible, affecting 65 of 160 schools, the district made the strategic decision to do NTI for three days.

Callahan said the state only allows school districts to choose NTI or not at all.

“We cannot just say, ‘okay, these five schools are going to go to NTI and everyone else is going to open in the district.’ It has to be everyone on NTI or no one on NTI. I heard it from my own neighbors. ‘Hey, our neighborhood is fine. There’s no water here. We could easily get to school. Why can’t our kids go?’ It’s because it’s a district wide choice and decision that has to be made,” said Callahan.

Callahan said the district makes these decisions based on not only the safety of students but of staff, too.

“We also have employees who not only live in Jefferson County, they live in other counties that were impacted even more severely than we were. So those additional days of not having to come into the office were also to benefit our employees as well,” said Callahan.

Students who couldn’t get to school because of flooding or because they were displaced by high water, will receive excused absence. Parents need to contact their school and let them know their situation.

None of JCPS schools sustained any major damage in the storms or by the flooding all schools are open. Students’ last day of school is still scheduled for May 23.

Parents can see the list of inaccessible bus stops online.

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