FCPS to Use NTI and Regular Snow Days in 2025-26

Fayette County Public Schools will use non-traditional instruction (NTI) or regular snow days when schools are closed during the 2025-26 school year. Families will receive details from their principals and teachers, and our schools will update their NTI webpages accordingly. 

Earlier this year, officials discussed in a school board meeting that FCPS would not use NTI because of two concerns: instructional quality and finances. For instance:

• While NTI helps keep our students on track, it simply is not as effective as in-person learning in the classroom.
• When students are not physically in school for breakfast and lunch, the federal food service program does not reimburse the district for lost revenue, and FCPS must still pay for staff labor costs, too. We lose about $150,000 per NTI day, and that money comes out of the district’s general fund.

FCPS reconsidered using NTI after more talks with department leaders in Child Nutrition and conversations with the Superintendent’s Student Advisory Council, which is made up of high school students from across our district. Here are the outcomes:

• FCPS typically has four more days in its instructional calendar than Kentucky law requires, and the school board often waives up to four weather make-up days. Therefore, the food service costs would be similar whether we use up to four NTI days or waive regular snow days.
• In addition, students taking dual credit, Advanced Placement (AP), and other rigorous classes don’t have a chance to make up for lost time when college schedules or exam dates remain fixed. Missing school days can really affect students’ preparation and performance. Students also shared that while NTI is not an ideal replacement for in-person classes, it is better than losing a full day of instruction. 

As a result, Fayette County Public Schools decided to use a combination of snow days and NTI days this school year. Please visit FCPS.net/weather to review our district’s guidelines.