June 19, 2020 JCPS Family Update

Thank you for reading our latest letter from JCPS Communications

Dear JCPS Family,

We hope you are enjoying your summer. While it seems like we just wrapped up the 2019-2020 school year, we’re all wondering what next school year will look like. Will JCPS start classes as scheduled August 12th? Will my child be back in their school building? Will they be doing more days of Non-Traditional Instruction (NTI)? 

These are all good questions, none of which we can answer right now. But we are working on it. Employees from several departments in JCPS have come together to prepare and plan for how learning will resume in the 2020-2021 school year. These teams of talented educators have been studying all possible options for returning to school, taking guidance from state health and education officials. Back-to-school options will soon be shared with families, community groups and JCPS employees in order to get feedback. We hope to make final decisions in mid-July.  

Today we are launching a web page “Preparing for Our Return to School in the Fall” which has information about what school might look like this fall. As you may know, the COVID-19 related advice from top health experts is rapidly evolving which, in turn, prompts changes in the guidelines Kentucky’s public health and education departments are recommending to local school districts. This web page is designed to keep up with those changes as JCPS formulates its plans for the fall. 

The Kentucky Department of Education is also surveying families about your experience with at-home learning as we plan for the 2020-21 school year. Here are links to those surveys: English  Spanish

One thing we do know is that the health and safety of our students and staff is our top priority as we search for the best solution for educating more than 98,000 students during a difficult circumstance - in the middle of a pandemic. School districts across the country are dealing with this same dilemma. 

Thanks again for the hard work you and your child put in the last 10 weeks of the school year. It was impressive to see your participation in NTI. Have a safe and happy summer and we look forward to seeing you and your child this fall.  

JCPS Communications

This letter is also available in several languages:

This story was originally published on June 19, 2020.