LOUISVILLE, Ky. — A group of Louisville Metro Council members is calling on Governor Andy Beshear to provide guidance on reopening schools in Jefferson County this fall. The bipartisan group signed a letter to the governor acknowledging his leadership during the COVID-19 pandemic but asking him to work with health officials and school districts to prioritize getting students back to the classroom.
"We believe getting students across the Commonwealth into schools this fall is critical to student achievement, equity, and the normal functioning of our economy,” Councilman Markus Winkler (D-17) said in part.
Councilman Winkler said the members are not asking the governor to defy public health standards. They want him to direct health officials to establish guidelines for reopening schools safely so schools will have enough time to implement the changes.
“I am hopeful that our governor will hear our concerns and move towards a more clear policy so that teachers, parents, and businesses can prepare for the upcoming school year,” Councilman Piagentini (R-19) said in part.
The letter, which will be sent to the governor on June 8, raises the member’s concern that the Kentucky Department of Education “is prioritizing non-traditional options at the expense of making sure Kentucky schools are prepared to open this fall.” The latter says the current guidance from KDE “presents a worst possible scenario.”
Winkler and Piagentini signed the letter along with Council members Barbara Shanklin (D-2), Keisha Dorsey (D-3), Barbara Sexton Smith (D-4), Kevin Kramer (R-11) Rick Blackwell (D-12), Mark Fox (D-13), Kevin Triplett (D-15), Scott Reed (R-16), Marilyn Parker (R-18), Stuart Benson (R-20), Nicole George (D-21), Robin Engel (R- 22), James Peden (R-23), David Yates (D-25), and President David James (D-6).
Read the full letter below.
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