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About the matrix
When conditions warrant, Fayette County Public Schools will offer traditional, on-campus, in-person instruction for all students whose families choose that option. We will implement significant health and safety procedures to meet guidelines set by federal, state, and local health officials to minimize the risk of COVID-19 spread. Since the number of students in the building is determined by family preference, social distancing will be implemented as much as possible, but will not be possible in all situations.
To determine the appropriate mode of instruction, district leaders have developed a COVID-19 In-Person Learning Matrix. This tool, which builds on the state’s color-coded incidence rate map, includes five stages based on the seven-day average of new COVID-19 cases in Fayette County.
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133 cases or more: Stage 5, purple, substantial risk: All schools are closed. Students are not physically attending school and are completing coursework through Non-Traditional Instruction/ Differentiated Distance Learning (NTI/2DL).
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84 to 132 cases: Stage 4, red, significant risk: FCPS will consider moving to remote learning with targeted services provided for students who need extra support. Based on FCPS transition factors and the COVID-19 In-Person Learning MATRIX, a graduated in-person learning model will be considered.
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34 to 83 cases: Stage 3, orange, moderate, but increasing risk: Schools are open for graduated in-person learning. Short-term closures may occur for virus-affected classrooms or buildings because of transition factors. These closures will be communicated by the school and district.
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3.3 to 33 cases: Stage 2, yellow, minimal risk: Schools are open for in-person learning. However, short-term closures may occur for virus-affected classrooms or buildings. These short-term closures may be affected by one or more transition factors and will be communicated to families by the school and the district.
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3.3 cases or less: Stage 1, green, low risk: All schools are open. Curriculum delivered on campus via face-to-face instruction, with blended learning strategies that integrate digital resources. FCPS will monitor and be prepared to respond to identification of COVID-19 positive tests that affect staff members or students. We might enact additional health and safety guidelines in consultation with the county’s health department.
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In addition, district leaders will consider orders from the governor, student and staff absences, isolations and quarantines, operations and support considerations, community vs. institutional spread, community trends, and vaccine uptake when determining the appropriate mode of instruction. Data will be tracked daily, and decisions for the next two-week period will be announced each Tuesday.
Regardless of the in-person learning stage, we will provide remote learning five days a week for students whose families prefer that option.
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Marlene Helm
Read the acting superintendent's Jan. 12 letter to families (click photo); includes translations into Spanish, Swahili, Arabic, Chinese, Japanese, French, and Nepali
Jan. 12, 2021 / view translations
Dear Fayette County Public Schools families:
Thank you for continuing to support your children with their learning at home while COVID-19 cases in our community have prevented us from returning to the classroom. While it is often said that families are a child’s first and best teachers, the Herculean demands placed on our families this year have been astounding. Our teachers and staff have done an exceptional job under difficult circumstances, but nothing can replace the educational benefit of in-person instruction.
The FCPS In-Person Learning Matrix provides a path back to the classroom while prioritizing health and safety. It goes beyond the average daily cases one day a week and allows us to hold in-person learning in the state’s red zone by considering other factors like community trends, institutional spread, and cases among students and staff that may override other indicators.
Our average daily cases have been more than 200 for the past nine days, after almost three weeks of a steady decline. In the first 11 days of 2021, we have had 117 students and 63 employees test positive for COVID-19.
Here’s where we are:
- We are committed to implementing in-person instruction as soon as conditions warrant.
- We are currently providing limited, individually determined, in-person services to students with special needs.
- Our data indicates we need to continue remote learning the weeks of Jan. 19-22 and Jan. 25-29.
- Our goal is to begin graduated in-person learning the week of Feb. 1-5. The data will determine whether we can begin a phased-in return – starting with grades K-2 and adding other grades in subsequent weeks – for students whose families chose in-person learning, or whether we will offer additional services for smaller groups of students.
- In the next week, you will see our school buses on the road as our drivers and monitors begin practicing their routes in preparation for February.
- We will continue to distribute free meals, support families with basic needs, and provide social emotional and mental health support. For details visit fcps.net/gethelp.
We are touched by the very personal stories many of our families have voiced, and we want you to know that we genuinely share your desire to return to in-person learning. We are approaching the end of that 2½-week post-holiday period where we should begin to trend downward.
We would like nothing more than to announce details next Tuesday for a return to in-person instruction the first of February. With your help and continued support, we can make that possible.
Sincerely,
Marlene Helm,
Fayette County Public Schools acting superintendent
