LOUISVILLE, Ky. — It's back to school and back online, as Kentucky's largest school district begins its fall semester today. Jefferson County Public Schools (JCPS) is completely virtual, with all 97,170 students learning from home.
The district's calling this NTI 2.0. Many teachers are much more confident in its capabilities this time around after months of planning and reorganizing.
JCPS made sure every student had internet access and a computer, providing hot spots and Chromebooks to those who needed them. The district also took care of the school supplies thanks to community partners and countless school drive-throughs.
Brandee Kaelin is the academic instructional coach at Kenwood Elementary.
"Nothing is the same as being in school. We know that," Brandee Kaelin said. "We can do so much more at school, but I know everyone is giving their best and giving our all to make it the most we can."
Her husband Mike Kaelin is also a JCPS teacher, now in his 11th year teaching math at Westport Middle School. They've worked from home since March along with their daughter, Michaela, a second-grader at Kenwood. They, like so many, have made mud closets and sunrooms into home offices and decorated workspaces to mimic a normal class setting.
Mike Kaelin knows it isn't a perfect setup, but says there are pros to virtual learning.
"There are a lot of students who've thrived with an NTI experience. There's an advantage of seeing teachers one on one, with open office hours, because teachers want to see their students as much as possible," Mike Kaelin said.
Michaela would rather see her friends in person, but also see the upside to virtual learning.
"She says she at least gets to see them without a mask on," her mom said.
"It's not bad or good," Michaela said. "It's just different this year and besides all the craziness going on, I'm really excited to go back to school."
Tuesday also kicked off practice for low-contact sports. It's part of the phased-in approach the district approved Monday night.
Contact reporter Brooke Hasch at bhasch@whas11.com. Follow her on Twitter (@WHAS11Hasch) and Facebook.
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