Fayette County Public Schools officials are consider changes the the district’s virtual learning program on days classes are canceled for health and safety reasons, like snow days.
LEXINGTON HERALD-LEADER
Fayette County Public Schools officials hope to decide by Thursday whether they will continue to have virtual learning, or non-traditional instruction days, in place of regular snow days.
The coming decision on NTI days follows the school district’s first snow day of the 2025-26 year Tuesday. FCPS opted for a traditional day off, rather than requiring students to learn virtually.
In August, as a cost-cutting suggestion amid budget problems, Superintendent Demetrus Liggins recommended discontinuing NTI days, which count as virtual school days for students.
“Since cafeterias are closed and employee contracts are already in place, we are still responsible for paying Child Nutrition staff” without the revenue of federal meal reimbursements, his recommendation said of NTI days.
A decision on whether to keep or cut NTI days could come Thursday, district chief of staff Tracy Bruno told the Herald-Leader.
“Our goal is to have information out by tomorrow afternoon. The district is in the process of reviewing our inclement weather procedures,” Bruno told the Herald-Leader Wednesday.
The NTI program encourages learning on days when the entire district is closed for health or safety reasons. School districts create plans to deliver instruction to every student and provide interaction with teachers on NTI days, the Kentucky Department of Education website reads.
Kentucky’s Commissioner of Education can approve up to 10 NTI days to count toward student attendance days for each school year.
Tuesday, Fayette County Board of Education chairman Tyler Murphy confirmed the school board has not adopted any policy change.
“The board has not adopted any policy change relating to NTI,” he said. “Decisions about weather-related cancellations are the purview of the administration and it is my understanding these are still under review.”
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