Christian County Public Schools are moving to full virtual learning until further notice due to increased new COVID-19 cases across the county.
The district was scheduled to return to in-person learning Wednesday. Superintendent Chris Bentzel said an unprecedented spike in COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations in the past 48 hours was the reason for the decision.
He said all students would continue virtual learning through the end of the week.
The decision also means all sports activities, including games and practices and other extracurricular actives are canceled until in-person instruction resumes.
Last week, the school system shut down the Christian County boys’ basketball program due to a positive COVID test within the program. Other team members were placed into quarantine.
Earlier Tuesday, the annual Toyota of Hopkinsville Basketball Shootout involving three games at Hopkinsville and Christian County was canceled.
The move to virtual learning does not affect private schools University Heights Academy and Heritage Christian Academy.
On Monday, the Christian County Health Department reported 96 active cases of the virus involving people 21 and under. The school district’s COVID-19 reporting site said there were 18 students and 17 staff in the district with an active case of the coronavirus. Another 11 students were under close contact quarantine.
The school system was pleased with its COVID mitigation protocols in place across the district through mid-November when in-person classes were in session. On November 17, Christian County’s incidence rate, which is the seven-day average of new COVID cases adjusted to 100,000 population, was 40.3. The number of active COVID cases in the county that were under 21 was 50, and the school district had reported 26 new cases in the previous week.
The next day, Governor Andy Beshear urged schools to close to in-person instruction after the Thanksgiving holiday until this week. As of Monday, Christian County’s incidence rate of new cases had risen to 81.9, which was a record high according to the state’s COVID reporting web site. The number of active cases involving people 21 and under was at its highest level since December 11, which marked two weeks after the state’s recommendation and the Thanksgiving holiday.
District spokesperson John Rittenhouse said each school would maintain its regular meal schedule this week with three-meal bundles to be delivered at the regular sites between 11:00 a.m. and 12:30 p.m.
An update regarding the return to in-person classes next week will be made by the school system on Friday.
