All schools in Jefferson County, Louisville, Kentucky, will remain closed on Wednesday, August 16. However, classes will resume on Friday, August 18, following a staggered schedule for this week.
High school students are scheduled to resume classes on Monday, Aug. 21. The school district has announced that all elementary and middle school students will go back to classes on Friday, Aug. 18.
The high school students will come back on Monday, Aug. 21st and the middle school students at Moore will come back on Friday, Aug. 18th. Students at the so-called “multilevel schools,” like Marion C. Moore middle school and Marion C. Moore high school, will return according to their respective grade levels.
JCPS announces that all schools under state agencies will resume on Friday, August 18th.
During a news conference on Monday night, Marty Pollio, the Superintendent of JCPS, struck a conciliatory tone while outlining the next steps to address the transportation issues that plagued the first day of school.
Pollio stated, “I desire to express regret to our students, families, educators, bus operators, and staff, primarily.” He recognized that although certain individuals may not have experienced issues with transportation, all JCPS families were inconvenienced by the recent implementation and resulting school shutdowns.
In a letter to parents, Pollio stated that at the conclusion of the year, JCPS will request the Jefferson County Board of Education to pardon as many missed days as they can, relieving students from having to make them up.
Pollio expressed in the correspondence, “Our Operations team will persist in their efforts to establish a lasting resolution upon our return. Nevertheless, it is imperative that we devise an interim strategy to guarantee a safe return to school at present. We acknowledge that the ultimate remedy for our predicaments lies in overhauling our bus routes.”
The district has short-term adjustments to the transportation plan, but Pollio’s letter said it has work to do to implement long-term solutions.
As stated in the letter, families will receive instructions in the near future. These modifications involve the introduction of technology, which will enable parents and schools to track the whereabouts of a student’s bus throughout the journey to and from school.
According to Pollio’s letter, JCPS vans and drivers will be able to transport elementary students home or back to school in situations where there is no adult present at a stop. This arrangement will enable bus drivers to carry on with their routes without having to go back to the original school.
The district states that if buses arrive late to the depot or when they take students home, vans or extra buses will be provided to allow other buses to continue waiting on their routes.
JCPS will provide an additional staff member when a bus experiences a delay, who will be equipped with a mobile phone and GPS. This staff member will be present on buses that cover the longest routes to assist with navigation and maintain communication with schools.
JCPS also plans to decrease the distance of routes that have numerous stops, starting with the afternoon schedules.
Elementary and middle school families requiring Special Needs Transportation will receive transportation details by Wednesday, Aug. 16 and will be contacted.
“Returning to our previous activities is not a possibility,” Pollio stated. “This is the most significant transformation we have undertaken in JCPS since the 1970s,” he expressed. As he detailed the upcoming actions, Pollio recognized the immense challenge of introducing new start times and incorporating new schools, all with a reduced number of bus drivers.
This is an evolving narrative. We will incorporate additional information as it becomes accessible.