Boards resume in-person meetings

The most frequently asked question during the Kentucky Department of Education’s Superintendents’ Webcast on Tuesday was whether and when school boards and school-based decision making councils can resume in-person meetings.

Those meetings can occur as long as they follow the Healthy at Work guidelines, said KDE Associate Commissioner Kelly Foster.

As of June 18, that guidance allowed for meetings of 10 people or fewer. On June 29, that number will jump to 50. Under both scenarios, everyone at the meeting must remain 6 feet apart or wear face masks, according to the guidance.

Dawson Springs Independent plans to resume its in person board meetings on Thursday. Superintendent Leonard Whalen said in a letter that the meeting will be limited to 10 people and that masks and social distancing will be enforced. The district will also continue to live stream the meetings, he said.

During the Superintendent’s Webcast, Interim Commissioner Kevin Brown noted that in-person meetings will be much different than they were before coronoavirus.

“We may not be in a phase yet where you could have 100 people in the audience, but you could have five members of the board of education and five staff members,” Brown said.

Boards and SBDMs should also be sure that the public and media are aware of how they can watch the meeting online or in person, he said.

Going back to school

Though the long-awaited public health guidance on going back to school has not yet been released, state health officials on Tuesday discussed some of the specifics expected to be included.

During the Kentucky Department of Education’s Superintendent Webcast, Dr. Connie White, deputy commissioner for the Department of Public Health, told superintendents that if students are spaced 6 feet apart in classrooms and neither the teacher or students are moving around, then they would not need masks on. But if there’s movement, or if students are less than 6 feet apart, masks will be needed, she said.

“If you are closer than 6 feet to somebody you want to be sure to have that mask on so you’re not spreading those viral particles,” White said.

Interim Commissioner Kevin Brown noted that some superintendents have measured classrooms and determined that about 15 students could fit when spaced 6 feet apart.

“So there is some flexibility there, though there’s a trade-off,” he said. “When you’re in situations where you can’t maintain that 6-foot distance the masking is essential.”

When school resumes, contact tracing will also be imperative, White said. That means assigned seats in the cafeteria, keeping bus manifests and limiting classroom changes.

Public health officials have previously said that school buses could be fully loaded if students are wearing masks, hand sanitizer is available and students’ temperatures are checked. White encourage schools to check students’ temperatures instead of relying on families to check symptoms.

Officials did not say when the public health guidance would be released, but noted even after the initial document is posted, it may continue to change.

KDE this week also released guidance on intermittent closures that may be needed during the 2020-21 school year. The webcast also included information on FEMA funding to help districts respond to the crisis.

Special messages from Virtual Summer Leadership Institute keynote speakers

The Kentucky School Boards Association’s 2020 Virtual Summer Leadership Institute will be hosted virtually on July 10-11 . This year’s event offers an impressive lineup of keynote presenters plus two breakout session opportunities.  Check out the full agenda .

Easy   online registration  is available by clicking the “Register Now” button below. The cost of this year’s event is $195 for access to all sessions. 

Each of this year’s keynote speakers recorded a special video message for KSBA members.

Erin Gruwell , KSBA’s Saturday keynote speaker, has spent her career in education fighting for equality. As an English teacher, she used an educational philosophy that transformed the lives of students. She encouraged them, many of whom were labeled "unteachable," to re-chart their futures. Her students began recording their thoughts and feelings, dubbing themselves the “Freedom Writers” This compilation of stories entitled the “The Freedom Writers Diary” later became a bestselling book and inspired the movie “Freedom Writers” (2007) starring Oscar winner Hillary Swank.

In 1999, Jim "The Rookie" Morris was a 35-year-old high school teacher. Three months later, he was a flame-throwing major league pitcher. The 2002 feel-good movie “The Rookie” starring Dennis Quaid chronicled Morris’ meteoric rise. As the Friday keynote speaker, Morris will tell his inspiring story of leadership, mentorship and pursuing one’s dreams.

The appearances of Jim Morris and Erin Gruwell were arranged through Gotham Artists.

Education commissioner field narrowed  

The Kentucky Board of Education has narrowed the field of education commissioner candidates to six. The KBE conducted 11 virtual interviews on June 11 and 12 before selecting the six candidates for further review.

Greenwood/Asher, the firm leading the search, accepted applications and nominations through May 31. The board is tentatively scheduled to convene on July 6-7 to discuss the remaining candidates.

Interim Commissioner Kevin Brown has said he will continue serving until a new commissioner of education is named.

Join KSBA the second Wednesday of each month for an hour of meaningful board member training. Our “Learn and Earn” webinar series offers helpful topics while providing school board members with state-required training credits. All sessions will run from noon – 1 p.m. (ET) at a cost of $50 per session. Pre-registration is required and space is limited to 100 viewers each session. Visit the Learn and Earn web page for detailed webinar descriptions, presenter information, registration details and more. Download a complete schedule (PDF) of the upcoming opportunities.

The next "Learn and Earn" webinar is July 8 when KSBA will present an Ethics session titled Board Leadership Essentials: Your Public Image. This training meets mandated ethics training requirements for school board members. Register now!

For questions regarding the Learn and Earn webinars, contact Laura Cole, KSBA director of Board Team Development, via email or at 800-372-2962.

Federal & State Law Update now available for viewing

For those unable to attend KSBA’s 2020 Federal & State Law Update on June 2, a recording of the training is now available as an online course. Participants are eligible for three hours of board training credit. The cost for access to this course is $150. The training includes a 2020 legislative session recap, important board policy and procedure updates, Open Meetings Act and federal law updates, and a CARES Act federal funding overview.

To access this training opportunity, contact Shannon Robinson, training and conference coordinator for KSBA, at 502-783-1099 or via email . See KSBA’s full catalog of self-study opportunities .

June Kentucky School Advocate available online

While Kentucky public school districts do not yet know what the 2020-21 school year will look like, they do know it will be a balancing act to educate students while keeping them safe. In this month's cover story, KSBA's Publications Manager Brenna Kelly looks at the challenges school districts face as they plan for the unknown amid COVID-19 concerns.

Also in the June Advocate:

KOSAA to hold virtual Summer Meeting July 10

The 15th Annual Kentucky Organization of Superintendents’ Administrative Assistants (KOSAA) Summer Meeting will be held virtually in conjunction with KSBA’s Summer Leadership Institute.

The KOSAA meeting will be held from 1 to 4 p.m. on Friday, July 10 via Zoom. The cost is $40 and attendees will earn three training hours for Professional Assistants Academy credit.

Attendees will receive a Zoom overview from KSBA Director of Communications Josh Shoulta and IT Manager Matt Wells. The session, entitled “Working from Home/Zoom”, will cover important Zoom security functions, etiquette of online meetings and other information for conducting business in the virtual space.

KSBA’s Policy staff will discuss how a policy change goes from a request to a draft to an approved policy and will also go over changes that were included in this year’s policy update.

School board members offer Class of 2020 “tips of the cap”

Thank you to KSBA members who submitted “tips of the cap” honoring the Class of 2020. KSBA was pleased to receive video submissions in the form of important life lessons, words of encouragement and reflections. KSBA will continue to showcase these clips in upcoming social media posts and in online publications. Check out the video below for a collection of some of our favorites. 

Webinar on reducing tobacco use to be held June 24

The American Heart Association, in partnership with the Foundation for a Healthy Kentucky and Kentucky Youth Advocates, will host a webinar from 8:30 to 10:30 a.m. on Wednesday, June 24 to discuss ways to improve health of citizens through reduced tobacco use.

The invitation-only virtual conference, which is being offered to local elected officials and advocates for better health, will help you learn more about how you can gain more local control over your community’s tobacco-reduction efforts.

The conference will feature speakers, including Ashli Watts, president and CEO, Kentucky Chamber of Commerce; Elizabeth Anderson Hoagland, health promotion section supervisor, Kentucky Department for Public Health; Betsy Vetter, national field grass roots director, American Heart Association; State Rep. Kim Moser (Taylor Mill); State Sen. Julie Raque Adams (Louisville); and Dr. Brian King, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Bonnie J. Hackbarth, vice president/external affairs for the Foundation for a Healthy Kentucky, will moderate.

The webinar will help you understand the costs of tobacco use in Kentucky to business, health and the economy, current laws designed to improve health by reducing tobacco use and how local leaders can gain additional power to enact effective tobacco-control measures. You must register for the event .

For questions, contact Alexa Kerley .

KSBA in the news

KSBA is often called on by media outlets to discuss important school-related issues. Here is a story to which your association contributed in recent weeks.

Gun activist denied spot on ballot, Kentucky Standard (Bardstown), June 6, 2020

Poll question

June 23: KDE Superintendents Webcast

July 7: Interim Joint Education Committee

July 8: KSBA Learn and Earn -- Board Leadership Essentials: Your Public Image

July 10-11: KSBA's Virtual Summer Leadership Institute

July 10: 15th Annual KOSAA Summer Meeting

July 29-31: KASA Annual Leadership Institute

Aug. 5-6: Kentucky Board of Education meeting

This edition of KSBA Aware is made possible in part

by the following KSBA Affiliate Members.