KDE Guidance for Districts: Considerations for the Class of 2020, for Professional Learning, for Instruction (NTI), for Mental Health & Wellness, for Assigning & Reporting Grades. Educate, Feed, Support

(FRANKFORT, KY) – The Kentucky Department of Education (KDE) released five guidance documents April 7 for districts to use when considering the implications of school building closures due to the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak.

The guidance provides questions districts may consider when making decisions about what to do for seniors, professional learning for educators, assigning and reporting grades and how to provide instruction and mental health and wellness services. Since Kentucky is a local-control state, many of the decisions for how to move forward in this challenging time will be decided by local boards of education and school-based decision making councils.

“These documents were put together with the input of superintendents, educators, students, parents, higher education and groups representing many education-related interests,” said Interim Commissioner Kevin C. Brown. “We knew we could not create such important guidance in a vacuum. We needed the input of all the groups that are being affected by the closure of schools to in-person lessons.

“We hope these guidance documents can help give district and school leaders some things to consider while making important these important decisions.”

The guidance documents available include:

As the COVID-19 situation evolves, these guidance documents will continue to be updated and amended as required to meet the needs of Kentucky’s schools and districts.

Staff at KDE is continuing to provide information and support to educators, schools and districts to help ensure that students are receiving high-quality instruction while all of the state’s 172 public school districts use the Non-Traditional Instruction Program. More information about COVID-19 and resources are available on the KDE website.

The guidance documents were released one day after KDE’s Education Continuation Task Force met to discuss graduation requirements. The task force, put together by Brown, has been meeting virtually each week to focus on providing timely information, research and instructional resources to school districts as they deal with the unprecedented length of school closure caused by the COVID-19 crisis.