Beech Tree News Network

Supt. Robert Tuck: Butler County Schools Reopening Game Plan

COVID-19 has created a different reality of life for each and every one of us.  This has been a difficult and trying time for our families and community.  My thoughts and prayers continue to be with everyone during this challenging time.  Our Butler County School Team has collectively spent thousands of hours over the past few months taking extraordinary steps to prepare our schools for the imminent return of students. This commitment is one of many reasons that my family and I are proud to call Butler County our home.  Our team has worked tirelessly during this tumultuous time to prepare facilities, adopt and amend policies, and alter educational and operational practices to make absolutely certain that a return to in-person school can be conducted in the safest and most productive environment. We have worked through guidance and data that has been complex, rapidly changing, and at times conflicting, to put in place practices designed to protect students and staff at school. 

We are fully prepared and have been looking forward to this landmark event with enthusiasm and resolve. We know that our broader community is supportive of a “live” return to school as well.  This support has been expressed in our community questionnaire data.  Again, the safety and well-being of our students and staff is number one to our school district. We have taken every possible step to protect our students and staff from unreasonable risk of COVID infection in a school setting.  This has been done with things like precise protocols following the “Healthy to School Guidelines” and even adding bipolar ionization in all of our facilities. 

Our team expanded on our phases to create a light system approach, Green-Yellow-Red, to provide a visual and more concise way of communicating to our community when a change is to be made.  In this light system, green light would mean students would attend school five days a week.  This supported the number one concern of the questionnaire which the majority of our families felt was important.  The yellow light would have students attending school on an A/B schedule. The A group would attend school on Monday and Tuesday.  The B group would attend Thursday and Friday.  Everyone would do NTI on Wednesday.  

The basic red light would stay with A/B schedule, reducing in person attendance by one day a week.  The A group would only attend on Monday and B group would only attend on Thursday.  All students would do NTI on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday.  The hope was to have at least one contact with students each week to get face to face interaction and provide any support a student may need.  The red light could be adjusted out to every two weeks or allow for extended periods of NTI which would be communicated through our regular communication platforms like we would for weather or flu.   

As we examine the Light System, a couple of things to consider is kindergarten and preschool would be on the yellow light system anytime we are on green light with the A/B schedule format.  They would then follow yellow light with the district and red light as well.  In addition, the light system will not affect students who signed up for our Virtual Program.  I also want to note that we had planned on releasing the A/B schedules before school started.  However, due to the delay of in-person classes, we will wait to release those around September 1 to allow the possibility that parents may still switch students from in-person to virtual or vise-versa. 

Understandably then, it was disheartening for us to hear the recommendation this week that we postpone in-person learning until September 28th.  After spending weeks focusing almost exclusively on a safe opening of schools – in as normal a manner as possible during a pandemic – all of our preparation and desire to return was halted in an instant.   

After that call, should the school district not postpone its start, the prospect of forced closure has been proposed. The Kentucky Board of Education, local and state health officials, and the Governor’s authority to issue a statewide executive order have all been mentioned as options to assure that school districts adopt the recommended start date. It is without question that a live start, brought to a sudden halt by the order of outside agencies, would compound an already complex and unsettled situation.  With that said, our team feels that, to be able to start school on August 26th in an orderly fashion, starting NTI would be the simplest way in regards to not having to shift our plan again if a state-wide executive order is made two days before school starts.  So, instead of the focus of our district starting on green light and working from there based on the COVID data in our community, we will be starting in the extended red with no in-person classes.  Our team’s goal is to start in this deep red and work back up to green.  We will continue to monitor the situation through September 28th and make adjustments if the situation presents itself.

As we move to the beginning of our school year under this extended red light designation, we must look at the upcoming dates that are essential for parents to remember to make sure we get all pertinent information regarding how their student will begin the school year.  Students can pick up packets on August 20th from 2-6pm and on August 21st from 9am-3pm at their school.  All students, including those enrolled in the Virtual Program, will need to pick their packets up from their home school which will be a drive-thru type event.  However, students and parents who would like to meet their teachers, need support in Google Classroom (login information etc. for NTI) or if a Chromebook is needed please make those requests at that time.  An individual meeting will be scheduled for the following week.  Butler County High School will be also sending out an email for Sign Up Genius for parents and students if they need Google help or to meet teachers or change their schedule.  We will also begin feeding students who are on Virtual and NTI, providing meals which can be picked up twice per week.  These meals will be available on Mondays and Thursdays with four bus pickup routes.  Monday’s meal pickup will consist of three breakfast and lunch pickups and Thursday’s meal pickup will consist of two breakfast and lunch pickups.  We will post route and time information on our school website, www.butlerschools.net, and on our Facebook page @ButlerCountySchools. 

We live in a time now, more than any time before, where thinking innovatively has been a necessity of life.  It has been my goal from the beginning of dealing with this pandemic to plan for the worst, hope for the best, and adjust and adapt when needed.   We will continue to think innovatively and examine all situations holistically.  We have worked together as a community to strengthen relationships and develop a joint problem solving approach to these new challenges that centers around helping our students become independent, lifelong learners.  We have achieved this through the development of our re-entry committee and questionnaires sent out to stakeholders.  We have and will continue to build capacity and clarity in instructional practices during these changing times.  This has included training, sharing data, monitoring our vision, and making adjustments when necessary due to bumps in the road.  We have tried to focus our attention on only those areas that we can control to maximize efficiency and effectiveness.  This has promoted a transparent mindset of growth and support across our district.  When I think of the Butler County community, I think of pride, perseverance, a blue-collar work ethic, and an overall toughness.  This is why our team came up with a well-rounded and flexible plan that will allow us to adjust and adapt to this complex situation while also focusing on those variables we can control to provide the best support our students deserve.  We have a great community and I take extensive pride in knowing that.  As we continue to work together, we will build our community by becoming One Team… One Vision… Butler Strong. 

Sincerely, 

Superintendent Robert Tuck

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Butler County Schools:

Maximizing Learning in a Safe Environment

A Three Light System for Reopening Schools

2020-2021

Considerations 

During the 2020/2021 school year, while the pandemic continues, and while a state of emergency is in place in Kentucky, students enrolled in Butler County Schools will have the option to attend in-person classes or attend online classes. The students who choose to attend in person classes at the school will follow a three light system. Online/Virtual students will not be affected by the three light system. 

Students attending online/virtual need to have adequate internet access. District and school staff are available to help families seek out internet access opportunities. 

Students attending virtually may transition to in-person classes at each mid-term and/or the start of each nine-week period / Students attending in-person classes may transition to virtual classes at any point.  

Once the pandemic concludes and once all state emergency orders are lifted, all classes will transition to in-person (state of emergency possibly lasting a great portion, or entirety, of the 2020/2021 school year). 

Preschool and kindergarten students are not required to wear masks at school / Parents may encourage the use of a mask / Preschool and kindergarten will always run a form of the A/B schedule (For example if the district is on the Green Light, preschool and kindergarten will be on the yellow light schedule).  

All grade 1-12 students must wear a mask when social distancing cannot take place, unless a medical waiver is provided by a health care provider (per Healthy to School Guidelines). 

Food service options will be available for students attending online options. 

Classes will begin on August 26. 

Green Light Monitored Weekly with Communication with Barren River Health Department (BRHD)

During the green light phase, students will attend school Monday through Friday.

Hand sanitizer stations will be available throughout buildings, classrooms, and on buses / Students and staff should wash their hands and use sanitizer on a regular basis / Constant reminders will be given.

Constant education about healthy hygiene practices / Cleaning and disinfectant efforts are intensified 

Daily temperature checks for staff & students (fever = 100.4° F or greater) / Quarantine areas in place 

Staff and Students required to wear a mask throughout the day when social distancing cannot occur (per Healthy At School Guidelines) 

Social distancing / Everyone remains six feet apart when possible / Markers in place at designated areas / Common areas closed / Meal provisions in place / lockers will not be used 

If case affects a student/teacher in school, BRHD contact tracing measures will be followed  

Extracurricular events may continue with masks required by spectators / Non-critical gatherings will be canceled 

Non-essential visitors will be allowed by appointment. 

The district will monitor surrounding counties to determine how any positive cases may affect students and staff 

Yellow Light Monitored Weekly with Communication with Barren River Health Department (BRHD)

During the yellow light phase, students will attend school on an A/B schedule (A-Students will attend on Monday/Tuesday.  B-Students will attend on Thursday/Friday. Wednesday will be an NTI Day)

Hand sanitizer stations will be available throughout buildings, classrooms, and on buses / Students and staff should wash their hands and use sanitizer on a regular basis / Constant reminders will be given 

Constant education about healthy hygiene practices / Cleaning and disinfection efforts are intensified 

Daily temperature checks for staff & students (fever = 100.4° F or greater) / Quarantine areas in place 

Staff/Students required to wear a mask throughout the day when social distancing cannot occur (per Healthy At School Guidelines) 

Social distancing / everyone remains six feet apart when possible / Markers in place at designated areas / Common areas closed / Meal provisions in place / lockers will not be used

If case affects a student/teacher in school, BRHD contact tracing measures will be followed  

Critical athletic/club events may continue with a limited number of fans - all spectators must wear a mask  

Students will visit restrooms individually or in small groups, no whole group visits 

Nonessential visitors canceled  

The district will monitor community to determine how any positive cases may affect students and staff  

Red Light Monitored Weekly with Communication with Barren River Health Department (BRHD)

During the red light phase, students will attend school on a modified A/B schedule if possible (A-Students will attend on Monday.  B-Students will attend on Thursday. Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday will be an NTI Day)

Space between desks increased / Markers in place at designated areas / Common areas closed / Meal provisions in place / Lockers will not be used 

Long term closures (10+ days) could take place / our hope is to be able to plan so assignments can be given directly to students so pick-up and drop-offs will not have to take place. / In the event of pick-ups and drop-offs, A-Day students will pick-up and drop-off for A students will be Monday/Tuesday and pick-up and drop-off for B students will Thursday/Friday.

All activities canceled 

Food delivery program will be implemented