Owensboro Catholic Schools at all grades levels will return to in-person instruction on Jan. 5, officials announced Thursday morning.
St. Mary of the Woods School and Trinity High School, as well as Grace Christian Academy, already announced plans to return in full to in-person learning Jan. 5. More local schools are expected to announce their plans in the coming days.
Gov. Andy Beshear said Monday that schools in Kentucky’s Red Zone counties can resume some form of in-person instruction starting Jan. 4, though the recommendation is to use an “aggressive” hybrid model or to wait altogether until Jan. 11. An executive order with more details could come this week.
Owensboro Catholic Schools
Keith Osborne, Chief Administrative Officer for OCS, said on Thursday their school system is looking forward to returning Jan. 5.
“Just as we have done since in-person instruction began on Aug. 26, we will continue to strictly implement all safe at school protocols,” he said. “We are grateful for the support of our Bishop, our Superintendent, and other key leaders who have provided direction and guidance throughout this most challenging year.”
According to a release, the Catholic Schools Office for the Diocese of Owensboro announced that in-person instruction will resume following the Christmas and New Year’s holidays. Each of the 17 Catholic schools in the Diocese has been given the option to return to in-person instruction as early as Jan. 4, allowing officials to make an informed decision based on their individual community COVID-19 situation.
“OCS transitioned seamlessly to virtual instruction as required, but our belief is that there is no replacement for in-person instruction, Osborne said. “We will monitor closely the situation in our community and will adapt, as necessary. Our families have done a really good job in making the right choices throughout this first semester to do their part in keeping our schools open, and I know we can continue to count on their complete support of our efforts.”
St. Mary/Trinity
On Wednesday, officials with St. Mary and Trinity said they will welcome students back to the school buildings on Jan. 4.
“We will continue to follow all Healthy at School guidelines as we did the first 55 days of in-person instruction,” said Anna McDaniel, Director of Advancement & Admissions.
McDaniel said all the desks are 6 feet apart in every classroom so they can maintain social distancing.
According to a release, the Catholic Schools Office for the Diocese of Owensboro announced that in-person instruction will resume following the Christmas and New Year’s holidays. Each of the 17 Catholic schools in the Diocese has been given the option to return to in-person instruction as early as Jan. 4, allowing officials to make an informed decision based on their individual community COVID-19 situation.
“All of our schools have worked tirelessly to create a safe environment for our students, faculty, and staff,” said David Kessler, Superintendent of Catholic Schools. “This same commitment will continue as we move into a new semester and a new year.”
GCA
Chris Holmes, Head of School, said, “Unless something unforeseen happens, we intend to return to in-person instruction on Jan 5. At this point we see nothing that would prohibit us from gathering together. We will continue to rigorously guard against COVID through the use of masks, distancing, and hygiene.”
Other local schools
Heritage Christian School officials are making an announcement Friday.
Owensboro Public Schools officials have previously said they intend to announce their plans by the end of the week.
Daviess County Public Schools officials are still weighing their options and could wait until just after Christmas before making an announcement.
—–
