Owensboro Public Schools announced Friday that students in the district would soon be returning to in-person instruction.
According to OPS, students will return to in-person learning on the A/B hybrid model on Thursday, Jan. 14.
OPS says that since the 14th is a Thursday, only students in the "B" group will return in-person on that day. Students in the "A" group will learn virtually that day, with no students of either group attending classes on Monday, Jan. 19, in observance of Martin Luther King Jr. Day.
OPS Superintendent Matthew Constant said the decision to return in-person on the hybrid schedule was made with several key factors being considered, which he highlighted below:
- The language in the governor’s Executive Order now permits us to return to school in the “Red”. His previous Executive Order did not allow for that.
- We did not have a single case of person-to-person spread in our school buildings when we were previously in an A/B hybrid model.
- There are numerous studies, including a report from the CDC, that provides evidence that schools are not responsible for spreading the virus.
- We have reviewed the most recent “Healthy at School” guidelines from the Kentucky Department of
Supt. Constant says the district plans to remain on the A/B hybrid model as long as daily operations can be maintained, and that occasions may arise where it will be necessary to close individual schools for a short time to minimize the spread of COVID-19. A return to virtual learning also remains a possibility, should COVID-19 numbers pose a risk to the population.
Screenings will be held at each school's entry, but students and staff are still encouraged to screen themselves for symptoms of COVID-19 daily.
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