Governor encourages schools to delay in-person until Sept. 28

FRANKFORT, Ky. (WTVQ) – Saying the state can’t “sacrifice teachers and administrators on the altar of COVID,” Gov. Andy Beshear Monday recommended schools not open for in-person classes before Sept. 28.

And he expects a “wide variety” of reactions when he talks with superintendents during a call Tuesday.

The announcement came on the same day he announced an “unacceptable” decision by the state’s computer software led to the state’s new coronavirus case numbers being skewed downward and he formalized the easing of rules for bars and restaurants.

Many of the state’s school districts ware planning to open as early as Aug 24 with at least some form of in-person classes. At the same time, a number also have changed plans in the last 10 days, opting for online classes with a review in September to see the status of the virus.

“More than anything, we need our educators to return to a place that is healthy and safe,” Lt. Gov. Jacqueline Coleman, a former teacher, said of the recommendation.

“It is the responsible thing to do,” she added, holding her newborn child in her arms. “Our best bet is to give our schools time to prepare and the virus a chance to die down a little.”

“In my very core, I want to get back to in-person classes…but I’m not willing to ask them to go back right now,” Beshear said in kicking off his daily coronavirus briefing.

“It defies logic to begin classes when we are at our coronavirus peak,” he continued, citing examples in numerous other states where schools have started only to have to stop again after a few days because of outbreaks.

“The starting and stopping is more disruptive,” the governor said, noting he expects some districts to fight his recommendation.

“Yes, that’s six weeks from now, but it’s also six weeks from what I hope is the peak of this virus, six weeks from the last three weeks where we have been at an all-time high week in and week out, six weeks from a time when we just had a 6% positivity rate. Let’s face it, we’re trying really hard and we’ve taken good steps. Masks are working. But we do not have control over this virus,” Beshear stated.

“And to send tens of thousands of our kids back into in-person classes when we dont have control of this virus, it’s not the right thing to do for these kids, it’s not the right thing to do for their faculty and it’s not the right thing to do as Governor.”

He said the decision was driven by four factors: Kentucky’s cases being near a peak, an increase in infection rates among children across the U.S., the experience of school districts in other states and families continuing to travel to hotspots for vacations against the advice of health officials.

The governor said secondary schools are different from colleges because of everything from classrooms to housing. Furthermore, college students should be able to better manage safety precautions, even if they sometimes don’t.

The governor admitted he is worried about everything from students not having access to the internet to do as well with online classes to mental health services and cases of child abuse going unreported.

“Those are all things that worry me and we’re trying to find solutions to all of them,” he stated.

The governor announced only 275 new cases Monday but said the computer company handling the state’s information was updating software during the weekend, skewing the numbers.

He oted the new cases should be marked with a “giant asterisk.”

As of 4 p.m., he said there were at least 35,254 coronavirus cases in Kentucky, 275 of which were newly reported Monday. Thirteen of the newly reported cases were from children ages 5 and younger, including five who are less than a year old.

The explained the technical issue with the state’s data processor is causing a delay in some reporting, leading to lower numbers that will be updated later this week.

Beshear reported two new deaths Monday, raising the total to 775 Kentuckians lost to the virus.

The deaths reported Monday include a 60-year-old woman from Graves County and a 98-year-old woman from Lincoln County.

As of Monday, the state has at least 700,417 coronavirus tests performed in Kentucky. The positivity rate currently stands at 5.71%, which is down from the 6.02 percent rate reported Sunday.

At least 8,738 Kentuckians have recovered from the virus.

For information, including up-to-date lists of positive cases and deaths, as well as breakdowns of coronavirus infections by county, race and ethnicity, click here.