HealthyAtSchool - Guidance on Safety Expectations and Best Practices for Kentucky Schools (K-12) - Interim Guidance as of March 31, 2021

Oct 15, 2026

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Guidance outlines health safety expectations and best practices for Kentucky K-12 schools in response to the COVID-19 public health emergency. It describes how the document was developed with state and education task force input and explains why additional measures are needed now to reduce transmission and community spread. The guidelines distinguish required safety expectations from optional best practices, and cover social distancing, face coverings and protective equipment, screening and school exclusion, sanitation and environmental factors, and contact tracing, with flexible plans for attendance and distance learning transitions.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryHealthcare

FormatPDF

Pages25

Reading Time1 h 3 min

AccessFree to download

Overview

How Was This Guidance Developed?

Why Are Additional Health Safety Expectations Needed Now?

How to Use These Safety Expectations and Best Practices Guidelines

Safety Expectations and Best Practices

Updates

Social Distancing

Cloth Face Coverings, School Health Policies, and Personal Protective Equipment

Screening and School Exclusion

Sanitation and Environmental Factors

Contact Tracing

\#HealthyAtSchool Guidance on Safety Expectations and Best Practices for Kentucky Schools (K-12) Interim Guidance as of March 31, 2021 Table of Contents Overview How Was This Guidance Developed? ....................................................................................... 3 Why Are Additional Health Safety Expectations Needed Now?........................... 4 How to Use These Safety Expectations and Best Practices Guidelines......... 5 Safety Expectations and Best Practices Updates ............................................................................................................................................................ 6 Social Distancing ....................................................................................................................................... 7 Cloth Face Coverings, School Health Policies, and Personal Protective Equipment ............................................................................................................................ 10 Screening and School Exclusion................................................................................................... 14 Sanitation and Environmental Factors ...................................................................................... 18 Contact Tracing .......................................................................................................................................... 24 How Was This Guidance Developed? Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear has taken swift action to keep Kentuckians safe from COVID-19 . • March 6: declared a state of emergency. • March 12: recommended that all school superintendents cease in-person instruction. • April 20: recommended superintendents keep schools closed for the remainder of the school year. • April 21: launched “Healthy at Work,” an initiative to help Kentucky’s economy re-open in a phased approach. In order to establish guidelines for resuming in-person instruction this fall, the Kentucky Department of Education, in conjunction with the Governor’s Office, announced the creation of the Education Continuation Task Force on March 16. The task force is chaired by Lieutenant Governor Jacqueline Coleman, who also serves as Secretary of the Education and Workforce Development Cabinet. The group consists of representatives from Kentucky’s educational cooperatives, educational partner organizations such as the Kentucky Association of School Superintendents, Kentucky School Board Association, Kentucky Parent Teacher Association, Kentucky Education Association and Kentucky High School Athletic Association, as well as Kentucky Educational Television, the Southern Regional Education Board and a group of four bipartisan legislators. The task force focuses on providing timely information, research and instructional resources to Kentucky school districts as they deal with an unprecedented school closure and how to safely re-open amid COVID-19 . These safety expectations were written with input from the Education Continuation Task Force as well as the Governor’s Office, Department for Public Health, Kentucky Department of Education, the Cabinet of Education and Workforce Development and the Cabinet for Health and Family Services. Throughout this process, stakeholders from all areas of education have been engaged to provide input and expertise. 3 Team Kentucky | Guidance on Safety Expectations and Best Practices for Kentucky Schools Why Are Additional Health Safety Expectations Needed Now? The COVID-19 pandemic is a public health emergency that has spread across Kentucky affecting all age groups. Scientific knowledge about this novel virus continues to evolve. The following guidelines are based upon what is known about mitigating risks of transmission across the Commonwealth to protect all populations. Protecting students and staff at educational facilities is necessary to reduce the spread in this environment and limit th

FAQs

How was this guidance developed?

The Kentucky Department of Education worked with the Governor’s Office and public health partners, using input from the Education Continuation Task Force and other education stakeholders.

Why are additional health safety expectations needed now?

The guidance is based on evolving scientific knowledge about COVID-19 transmission in Kentucky and aims to protect students and staff while limiting community spread.

What is the difference between safety expectations and best practices?

Safety expectations are required measures schools must implement, while best practices are additional strategies schools may choose to optimize safety for students and staff.

Oct 15, 2026

Upload by Damian