Beech Tree News Network

Butler County School Superintendent Robert Tuck has released the following letter:

The Butler County School System is committed to transparently communicating the steps we are taking within our school district in order to keep our students and staff safe during these unprecedented times.  We understand that there are many variables to be considered when making decisions.  We take every decision seriously, looking at every factor both independently and collectively as a whole in regards to its impact upon our district, our students, our staff, and our community.  

This week we have seen a spike in the number of Covid positive cases and quarantines due to contact tracing across our county and our district.  As a district, we currently have 13 active positive cases and 57 contact trace quarantines.  Of the positive cases, we have 8 staff members who have tested positive and 20 staff members who have been quarantined due to close contact.  Butler County has also seen a rise in cases, with 10 new positive cases reported the last two days and 70 total active cases as of today.  These cases represent a cross section throughout our district and county, thereby necessitating conversation in regards to our school status for this upcoming week and the activities associated with it.  As a district, we recognize the importance of continued in-person classes for our students in order to allow them access to a quality education but at the same time must juxtapose that importance with a recognition of the need for safety of our students and the mitigation of the spread of the coronavirus within our county and district.  

As a result of this spike in cases, we are proactively moving to an Orange status for our district for the upcoming week of November 9th-13th.  We have looked at both our current positive cases, contact trace quarantines, and the continued rise in cases in our community in making this decision.  In addition to the rise in cases, we have also reviewed the availability of substitute teachers within our district as well as the impact it has had upon our nutritional staff in making this decision.  We have just received a waiver from the Kentucky Department of Education to allow the district to train additional people to be emergency subs and have 15 people we will be able to train. Currently, the district is 4 subs short for the remainder of this week.  As a district, we have conversed with our District Leadership Team and concluded that progressing next week in an Orange Status for our district will provide for the best opportunity to still provide the much needed in-person instruction while taking steps to slow and mitigate the spread of the coronavirus.  

In addition to the steps taken academically in response to this uptick in Covid cases and contact tracing, we have made the decision to pause all athletic events for the remainder of this week.  We have cancelled the BCMS Boys and Girls Basketball games tonight, 11/5/20, and the away Varsity Football game at Webster scheduled for tomorrow 11/6/20.  This was a daunting decision but one made with the future of both athletics and academics in mind.  We have seen a recent uptick again in cases and quarantines and, as previously stated, have reached a point where we need to pause play to determine the extent of the spread of the virus and any additional cases which might present themselves.  We understand this is a disappointment to many of our parents, coaches, and players but we have taken this step in hopes to be able to continue to allow our student athletes the opportunity to play during the winter and spring seasons.  

For the upcoming week of November 9th-13th, we will have NTI instruction Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday.  In-person classes will be held for A day students on Tuesday and B day students on Friday.  If you have any questions regarding this change to Orange status, please reach out to your school or to the Board of Education.  In addition, we will be bringing in small pods of students on Mondays and Thursdays from our most at-risk populations including our Special Education students, ELL students, and our Tier III students.  This will allow us to provide the additional support needed by these at-risk students in small pods, balancing the need for additional support with the new mitigation strategies we are undertaking.   Tuesdays and Fridays were chosen by our District Leadership Team due to the natural transition dates which are normal for our students and allows students to continue the turn in work that is due on these dates.  These dates will also allow for better communication of any future color change in the status of Butler County Schools.  It should be noted that we will be reviewing the status of our district on Thursday, November 12th to determine our status for the following week.  

We would like to reiterate to all the importance of social distancing and mitigation strategies that play such key roles in suppressing the spread of this virus.  The importance of these steps is shown above when one looks at the sheer volume of close contact quarantines across our district.  Social distancing allows us to continue to provide the in-person classes we all so desire, participate in athletics as everyone wants, while ensuring that we are doing what we can to slow the spread of the virus.  We know that we cannot stop the spread of this virus, but by taking steps like social distancing, we can ensure that we can continue to provide a sense of normalcy for our students, parents, and community through the continued holding of in-person classes.

Again, as things change, we will work to keep everyone updated.  

Respectfully,  

Robert Tuck

Superintendent

Butler County Schools