Vaccine distribution to K-12 school employees is continuing across the state this week. So far, educators and staff in at least 45 districts have gotten their first shot of the COVID-19 vaccine. More districts are scheduled to receive the vaccine next week.

When Jefferson County Schools staff began being vaccinated on Jan. 22, Superintendent Marty Pollio called it the most important day of his 25-year career in education.

“Why this is so important to me is now we get to see the light at the end of the tunnel,” said Pollio, whose 100,000-student district has yet to return to in-person classes this school year.

Gov. Andy Beshear said Monday Kentucky is working to become the fastest state in the nation to vaccinate K-12 personnel. He expects all districts will begin vaccinations by next week.

Beshear has also said that after school staff have received both doses of the vaccine, he expects to “significantly ease” the guidance on schools holding in-person classes. After Winter Break, districts were asked to follow updated guidance that called for a “more aggressive hybrid model” while counties are in the red category.

While the vaccine has given teachers and parents hope that there will be a permanent return to in-person learning this year, the high number of cases across the state has led to at least 28 districts pushing back their planned return to classes after Winter Break, some to as late as Feb. 22.

Meanwhile, the high number of cases and quarantines in many areas has caused some districts that had started in-person classes to return to all virtual instruction. Marion County Schools moved to virtual instruction this week after a large number of cafeteria and transportation staff were quarantined. Cloverport Ind. will be virtual Thursday and Friday due to several positive cases in the district. Woodford County moved one elementary school to all virtual instruction this week after more than 35 students and 12 staff members were quarantined.

KDE announced that the Kentucky School for the Blind, which is operated by the state board of education, will allow students to return to in-person classes on March 1.

In the first two days of this week, 703 students and 288 staff had tested positive and 3,680 students and 481 staff were quarantined, according to the state’s K-12 dashboard.

The state is urging residents to take the Kentucky Broadband Speed Test, a crowd-sourcing project to gather data needed to expand internet home access for distance learning, telework and telehealth. You can take the free test until Feb. 18.

Families without internet access at home are urged to connect via a business, library or friend’s house and enter their address to register that their home does not have internet access.

“We need as many Kentuckians as possible to take this internet speed test, to get an accurate picture of who has adequate internet access across the state,” said Gov. Andy Beshear. “The more speed tests taken, the better understanding we will have of our state’s internet capabilities, and the better prepared we will be to repair and expand it.”

The governor’s budget proposal contains $50 million dedicated to the last mile of broadband to areas in need. It would be the first time state money has funded an expansion of broadband, which the pandemic has shown to be crucial to schools, telehealth, business and more. Beshear dedicated $8 million in CARES Act funding to broadband expansion in August 2020. Since then, Kentucky has reduced the number of students without internet access from 35,000 to 13,000.

Kentuckians who participate in the speed test will help detect slow spots around the state and where Wi-Fi access and affordability are lacking.

“There is a digital divide in households across Kentucky, especially in rural areas, that has become even more apparent during the pandemic when so many people need it to attend school, go to work, get government services and conduct personal business from home,” Lt. Gov. Jacqueline Coleman said.

School board members and district leaders should be aware of an alert issued by the Kentucky Attorney General on the required distribution of guidance materials covering Kentucky’s Open Records Act, Kentucky’s Open Meetings Act and records retention requirements. The materials are to be distributed to newly elected school board members within 60 days of taking office. This year the 60 days started on Jan. 4.

Board members are encouraged to review these resources on ORA and OMA issues. School leaders with questions may contact KSBA staff attorney John Fogle. 

Following the latest round of federal COVID relief funding, KSBA released a statement pointing to the critical need for long term funding solutions for public schools in addition to emergency relief. A portion of the statement is provided below, or you can read the full statement on KSBA's website.

"It bears repeating that ESSER money is relief for the effects of COVID-19 and does not solve longstanding funding issues of both equity and adequacy which currently impede the progress of our constitutionally established system of common schools.

"Federal relief does not address the need for an increase in base SEEK allocations which may restore equity across communities. This one-time federal relief does not ensure sustained, recurring funding for classroom-level student programming like our family resource and youth service centers (FRYSCs). It does not address the needs of students in foster care, thousands of whom attend our schools, nor the increasing number of our students with special needs caused by neonatal abstinence syndrome (NAS) - largely a result of the opioid epidemic that hit us long before COVID-19. This funding may help us supplement instruction and supports to close achievement gaps, but we must recognize that those existing gaps were exacerbated by the pandemic, not a product of it. Our local communities needed help to address these and other crises before last March, and they continue to need state support in confronting them now ….

"For us to consider the ESSER funding as anything more than acute pandemic relief meant to right the ship would be shortsighted. It should be viewed, rather, as an emergency lifeboat to supplement adequate, sustainable support for the success of all students and the promise of a brighter future for all Kentuckians."

In honor of School Board Recognition Month, some of KSBA’s affiliate members recorded special video messages to recognize the service and dedication of our Commonwealth’s 857 locally elected school board members. #LoveKySchoolBoards

Nominations are now being accepted for the 2022 Kentucky Teacher Awards, sponsored by the Kentucky Department of Education and Valvoline Inc.

Any full-time public school teacher in the state with at least three years of experience is eligible. Nominations may be submitted via this Google Form.

KSBA is accepting nominations for its PEAK Award. The deadline is Feb. 24 and more information is available on our website.

The PEAK (Public Education Achieves in Kentucky) Award has been shining a spotlight on outstanding programs in the state since its inception in 1997 and this spring will mark the 53rd time that KSBA will honor a program with a PEAK Award.

The prestigious award recognizes outstanding public school efforts aimed at enhancing student learning skills and, in doing so, promotes the positive impact of public education in the Commonwealth.

The entry guidelines and links to stories on some of the recent winners are available on our website. If you have questions, please email or call Matt McCarty at 800-372-2962 ext. 1209.

In 2020-21, KSBA will be spotlighting our Tier 1 and Tier 2 Affiliate Members in Q&A videos. The videos will provide information on the services the companies provide to school districts and why they choose to support public education.

This week's spotlight is Houchens Insurance Group Education. David Brooks of Houchens joined KSBA's Matt McCarty for a Zoom conversation.

Check out all KSBA Affiliate members on our website.

Lexington Herald-Leader, Jan. 21: Fayette schools get $45.2 million ‘lifeboat’ in COVID relief funds

WPSD-TV Local 6, Jan. 23: State leaders share condolences on three year mark of Marshall County High School shooting

This edition of KSBA Aware is made possible in part