LEXINGTON, Ky. (WTVQ) – What a difference a word can make.  Fayette County Public Schools Superintendent Manny Caulk sent out an apology letter Tuesday after he says he inadvertently left a word out in an email response to a member of a Facebook group that advocates for students to return to class for in-person instruction.

The absence of the word ‘not’ indicated Caulk was planning on keeping students learning online for the entire academic year.  He says that is not his intent at all, that the goal since the pandemic hit is to get students back into the classroom when it’s safe to do so.

Superintendent Caulk’s letter is below along with an image of his original response on social media that led to the apology letter.

Dear FCPS Families:

You may have seen a social media post that includes a picture of an email response I sent on September 28 to a member of our community. When I saw the post, I immediately realized that I had inadvertently left out the word not. I meant to say that it is “not” our intent, nor has it ever been our intent, to do remote learning for the entire year.

In fact, school and district leaders are planning for a possible return to in-person instruction with a hybrid model, phasing in at the elementary level, beginning the week of November 2, 2020. While the health and safety of our staff and the students and families we serve will guide every decision, I have said repeatedly that I believe students learn best in the classroom with their teachers and peers.

I have reached out to the person who originally emailed me apologizing for my mistake and reaffirming my commitment to reopening schools when we safely can. Please help me spread the word to our community that we are working diligently to plan for every contingency, knowing that, in the words of Dr. Fauci, “we don’t determine the timeline; the virus determines the timeline.”

Uncertainty, new guidance from the state, new information from local health officials, rising incidence rates, and community discord have created a rapidly changing landscape. I am committed to ensuring that our employees and families have input into the way we move forward. Working together, we will do what’s best for students.

Your Partner,

Manny Caulk