As we close out our first full week of school, our families and employees are settling into the groove of virtual learning. We appreciate everyone's patience and collaboration as we've worked through delayed shipments of devices, experienced brief internet outages and hiccups with Zoom, and faced the challenges of enrolling more than 1,300 students into a brand new program in a short period of time.

Our teachers have done a terrific job of individually helping students and families find solutions, our technology team has worked diligently to provide tools, and our families have been wonderful about establishing routines that support student success. Just as our second week was smoother than our first three days, I expect coming weeks to be even better!

In our first six days of school, we averaged more than 40,200 participants and more than 203 million page views each day in Canvas. (Taking out Wednesdays, when many high school classes don't meet, the average was 44,000 participants and 210 million page views.) In all, there were nearly 84,000 assignments in roughly 7,200 courses in just a week! In Google Classroom, we averaged 2,485 active classes per day in first three days of school.

Even as we adjust to virtual learning, I am hopeful that the public health measures currently in place will slow the spread of COVID-19 so that we can safely return to school in person. Nothing can replace the magic of face-to-face instruction and we are already developing plans so we will be prepared when that time comes.

As we shared in our Reenvisioning, Reimagining and Renewing back-to-school plan, we have set regular intervals every 4 to 6 weeks throughout the school year to reconsider which instructional model is best. That time is quickly approaching, and later this month we will consult with state and local health officials about infection rates and case numbers in order decide whether to continue with non-traditional instruction or return to some form of in-person learning.

In the meantime, please accept my thanks on behalf of our entire district for everything you are doing to support learning at home. We have always considered our families to be partners, but the pandemic has truly elevated the importance of strong relationships between home and school.

I encourage you to stay in close communication with your children's teachers and principals as we continue on this learning journey together.

Thanks to a decision this week by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, anyone 18 years of age and younger is now eligible to receive free meals at any of the district's 47 school sites. Regardless of where your children go to school or whether your family qualifies for free or reduced lunch, all families can get FREE meals for children aged 18 and younger. Children do not need to be present.

Breakfast and lunch are available at 47 school pick-up locations every Monday and Wednesday between 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. On Mondays, we will distribute two breakfasts and two lunches. On Wednesdays, we will distribute three breakfasts and three lunches. Meals are a mix of ready-to-eat and heat-to-eat options. Click here for a list of locations.

We will continue to add more locations in weeks to come. If you know of an area with a high concentration of students who would benefit from meals being available in a central location, please email your suggestion to news@fayette.kyschools.us.

We are working with the Lexington-Fayette County Urban Government to provide crossing guards at busy intersections near food pick-up locations. To report a problematic intersection, please email your suggestion to news@fayette.kyschools.us.

Please recall that our district had previously invested in more than 35,000 Chromebooks and had gone 1:1 in all middle schools, as well as several elementary and high schools.

Families with students in the FCPS Virtual Learning Academy will be able to pick up Chromebooks on between noon and 7 p.m. on Tuesday, September 8, 2020 and between 8 a.m. and 7 p.m. on Wednesday, September 9, 2020. Drive thru pickups will be at the Fayette County Public Schools warehouse, which is located at 1126 Russell Cave Road. Please approach the warehouse from Loudon Avenue, headed toward New Circle. If your family is unable to make it during these times, please email fcps.vla@fayette.kyschools.us

More hot spots for families without internet access at home will arrive the week of September 14. To request one, call the Family Resource Youth Service Center (FRYSC) at your child's school. If your school does not have a FRYSC, you can call the main school number or fill out an online request at fcps.net/gethelp.

We're excited that the state is expected to award contracts for additional types of student internet access this week. They have also announced funding for districts to help with that. We will be watching those awards and evaluating them to see which ones will benefit our students.

During the first three days of school, our FCPS Student and Family Help Desk answered 2,149 calls from families and 502 calls from staff. The average wait time was about 11 minutes for the week. We are continuing to look at ways to be more efficient. Students and families can get assistance with technology issues by calling the help desk at 859-381-4410, Monday – Friday, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.

And check out some of the other amazing accomplishments by Fayette County Public Schools students and staff!