Matt Robbins, Superintendent of Daviess Public Schools, announced Tuesday that the district would start school as scheduled on Aug. 26 but delay in-person classes until at least Oct. 12.
In part, a release from Robbins and DCPS reads as follows:
The Daviess County Public Schools district has been working to develop plans to provide instruction under three levels of implementation — what we’ve called our “stoplight model.” Our original plan was to begin school on Aug. 26 in the “yellow” status of that model, offering a choice of in-person instruction on the A/B schedule with another option of a Virtual Academy as a separate standalone model.
Under the current recommendation, we are now proceeding with plans to implement the “red” status of our stoplight model and will start school with a Non-Traditional Instruction/digital platform.
The Virtual Academy remains in place as a separate standalone model for elementary and middle schools as those platforms are closely aligned. All DCPS high school students will be engaged in NTI/digital learning, which embraces the Virtual Academy in an enhanced format. We will implement training, support and resources in these areas as part of our Professional Learning process in the days ahead.
This will begin on Wednesday, Aug. 26. Although Gov. Beshear’s current recommendation extends only until Sept. 28, DCPS will keep the “red” model (NTI/Digital) program in place at least until we return from Fall Break on Monday, Oct. 12.
More details will emerge from KDE and KY Public Health over the next few days, providing us with more information regarding what we will be allowed to do during this period. We may be allowed to meet in person with students in small groups, such as hosting “introductory” meetings for a few students at a time to meet their new teachers.
This is especially important for young children (grades K-1) and for students who are transitioning to a new school (grades 6 and 9). We are also mindful of the need for personal connections with our special education students, ELL students, and students who struggled with the NTI experience in the spring. Another area of concern involves students whose households do not have access to high-speed internet. We are working to provide support for students in all these areas of concern.
In the meantime, we understand the hardship that is placed on families, especially those with young children. DCPS is engaged in intensive conversations spearheaded by the Greater Owensboro Chamber of Commerce and involving local businesses, nonprofit organizations, churches and other agencies, working toward a goal of providing supervision for children in safe environments that will also allow them to participate and engage in NTI and Virtual Academy learning experiences.
With the support of the DCPS Board of Education, our district and school administrators are moving swiftly to pivot to this next level of planning. We wholeheartedly believe our students need to return to school in person as soon as that option is safe to do so — but until then, we remain committed to providing meaningful learning experiences for all students in a safe environment.
