Less than 24 hours after hoping to keep the option off the table, Trigg County Public School officials have announced that Thursday, January 20, and Friday, January 21 will be NTI days for the district.
According to Community Education admin and liaison Sarah Elliott, the moves comes due to expected wintry weather late Wednesday night, and an alarming rise in COVID-19 cases within the district’s student body, teaching pool and support staff.
Between Tuesday and Wednesday mornings, the district reported 13 more active COVID-19 cases in the student body — up from 30 to 43 — with 15 active cases among teachers, and more than 100 students and 10 staff members quarantined following exposure.
Elliott noted staffing has been a critical issue over the last few days, and that it would only be exacerbated in the next 48 hours.
Several staff members and students are expected to return from quarantines and sickness absences by Monday.
Teachers, students and district office employees aren’t the only personnel dealing with COVID-19 concerns. Elliott said other critical staff have been impacted by the recent spike, and it’s causing difficulties district-wide.
Students need to complete NTI Days 3 and 4 within their packets, with expectations of returning back to the classroom next Monday.
Trigg County’s decision comes less than a day after Governor Andy Beshear and Health Commissioner Dr. Steven Stack reported Kentucky had crested north of 1,000,000 cases, and a testing positivity rate above 30%.