Sarah Cole McIntosh for JCPS School Board District 7

Attention JCPS Class of 2023 grads: This is your LAST CHANCE to apply for the Evolve502 scholarship! The application closes at 11:59 p.m., Saturday, 7/15! Eligible students could earn an associate degree, credential, or up to 60 credit hours TUITION-FREE at Jefferson Community & Technical College Kentucky Community & Technical College System or Simmons College of Kentucky. Find out if you're eligible and apply now at evolve502.org/apply.

Attention Class of 2023 Evolve502 scholarship applicants! Have you submitted your FAFSA yet? This is a required step in the Evolve502 Scholarship application process. Head over to https://studentaid.gov/ now to get started!

Student mental health needs to be a priority in our lives and schools Solyana Mesfin Students and peers know me as a funny and lively student. Education leaders across the state know me as a boundary-breaking student with a bright future. Finally, teachers know me as the student who requires monthly letters sent home

Louisville has an incredible arts community!

Louisville Orchestra Unveils Innovative 30-Week Creator Residency Program Three selected creators will be embedded within the orchestra and the Louisville community for at least 30 weeks while being provided with housing, studio space, health insurance and an annual sala…

Be sure to tune in on Facebook LIVE TONIGHT at 7pm to learn more about different scholarship opportunities! We will be joined by Evolve502 and Youth Resistance Collective be sure to tune in!!

Op Ed: Charter school bill has serious deficiencies As chair of the Kentucky Board of Education and a 31-year veteran of Kentucky public schools, I am extremely disappointed with House Bill (HB) 9 and its slim passage by the House of Representative

Here is the link to learn about JCPS’ safety proposal and provide your feedback. It is also available on the JCPS homepage.

JCPS School Safety Proposal | JCPS JCPS SCHOOL SAFETY PROPOSAL Jefferson County Public Schools (JCPS) is exploring innovative approaches to school safety that keep our schools secure while students engage in learning. In listening to our community and gaining initial feedback, JCPS has developed a concept that works to strengthen rel...

Tuesday evening at 6:00, Dr. Pollio will present the Board with an updated security plan for the district. https://www.jefferson.kyschools.us/calendar/event/board-education-meeting-12 I encourage everyone to tune in, then join us on Thursday for the first public forum to ask questions and provide feedback.

Board of Education Meeting | JCPS 01/11/22LINK: Board of Education Meeting Information This meeting will be conducted via video-teleconference pursuant to KRS 61.823 and KRS 61.826. The primary location for this meeting and where all members can be seen and heard by the public will be Stewart Auditorium in the VanHoose Education Cen...

JCPS will re-open to in person instruction on January 4 as planned. Any statement to the contrary is false.

We are still limited to 10 NTI days for the entire district for the remainder of the school year. This is per statute passed by the GA last year. They reconvene Jan 4.

It is my hope they will expand this option to provide large districts like JCPS more flexibility to TEMPORARILY move to NTI per school or per classroom based on immediate staffing or mitigation needs. That would help address health concerns while keeping kids in school.

As always, please refer to official JCPS communications for reliable information and disregard those on social media with no direct knowledge of JCPS decision making who are simply speculating or fear mongering.

I’d like to hear your thoughts on the JCPS student assignment plan. Please email me at [email protected] because I won’t see DMs.

Before you comment, let me clarify some oft-repeated misinformation.
Busing ended in 1984 except for students that live in West Louisville. There are not enough schools to accommodate the population in that area so students have to be transported to other neighborhoods.
Students (and families) that choose a magnet or optional program outside their resides area are provided transportation and account for more individual bus riders than students that are transported from West Louisville.
Transportation is roughly 5% of the JCPS budget which is in line with what most other districts spend.
When KERA was first implemented, transportation was fully funded (100%) by the SEEK formula. It is now below 60% which means it is another area where local funding has had to make up the difference.

Did busing work in Jefferson County Public Schools? We fact-checked 8 claims How much does busing cost? Are students assigned to school based on race? We fact-checked eight claims.

If you have questions about SEL, curriculum, or policies I encourage you to contact me. Don’t fall for propaganda and lies. https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/parents-protesting-critical-race-theory-identify-new-target-mental-hea-rcna4991?fbclid=IwAR3v-iHFsXJDrPeLikldAPack5C54iMjkL5EaPQpo2SkpeANg7xP2FcsjXs

Parents protesting 'critical race theory' identify a new target: Mental health programs Conservative groups opposed to lessons on racism are now targeting social emotional learning, which they call a "Trojan Horse" for critical race theory.

Here’s information on the OPTIONAL vaccination clinics this weekend.

COVID-19 Vaccination Clinics | JCPS JCPS is holding a two-day vaccination clinic for all students ages 5 and up. The clinics will be set up at 24 schools across the district. Families can register for the vaccination on the JCPS website. Sign up for a clinic (Enrollment Code: KY85104). A limited number of walk-ins will be accommodated...

There is A LOT of misinformation about JCPS and public education in general being circulated in our community. What questions do you have and what needs to be cleared up? I want to help set the record straight with FACTS.

Join us on Thursday October 14 for our next NAACP/JCPS Community Forum. Our panel will explore community resources and strategies to help organizations work with JCPS to provide wrap around services to students and families . register at http://bit.ly/jcpsnaacp

2021 Showcase of Schools on October 9!

Before you decide which school your child will attend for the 2022-23 school year, be sure to visit the JCPS Showcase of Schools from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday, October 9, 2021, at the Kentucky International Convention Center. We have many great school choice options, and school and district staff will be available to share program highlights and answer questions.

This year, some schools will be engaging with guests virtually while most will be sharing information about their school with guests in-person.

Tomorrow is the next regularly scheduled JCPS Board meeting. Out of respect for the health and safety of my colleagues and others present at the meeting, I will participate virtually as I quarantine following some personal travel. portal.ksba.org/public/Meeting…

portal.ksba.org

My condolences to all that knew and loved him.

Fayette County Public Schools student dies of COVID-19 Christopher “CJ” Gordon Jr., a 15-year-old sophomore at The Learning Center, died Thursday morning, according to Superintendent Dr. Demetrus Liggins.

Folks, in the current form of the bill in Frankfort, we would have an additional 20 days to use for virtual instruction so that we could respond to high rates in a single classroom or even school. Sounds good, right? Until you remember that we have 150+ schools and that 20 days is for the ENTIRE DISTRICT through January.

There is no option for a hybrid schedule, even on a temporary basis. That’s not something I like doing but I think we should have all the options available to keep our kids learning safely. In the last week, a 15 year old died in Shelby County and JCPS lost an educator, both to Covid. This is devastating to the families, communities, and especially other students.

Yesterday, the Education Committee Chair stated that local boards of education should be trusted to make the decision on masking, yet we aren’t to be trusted with other responses?

You can call 1-800-372-7181 to leave a message for our legislators or reach out to them individually, especially our Louisville/Jefferson County delegation! Most have a social media presence also.

https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/findyourlegislator/findyourlegislator.html

Find Your Legislator * We cannot guarantee the accuracy of the returned address results. If the pin is not in the correct location, it may be necessary to manually navigate to a location and click for proper district information. You can also confirm your district information through the Secretary of State's Voter Infor...

Need help finding a COVID testing site? https://www.jefferson.kyschools.us/departments/communications/monday-memo/jcps-offers-covid-19-testing-12-sites

JCPS Offers COVID-19 Testing at 12 Sites | JCPS Testing is available for students, staff and families Jefferson County Public Schools (JCPS) is partnering with Sphere to offer free drive-thru COVID-19 testing for JCPS students, staff and families. The testing runs from 3-7 p.m. every Monday-Thursday. Here's a list of locations: Academy @ Shawnee,...

I'm posting to share information. If you want to give me your opinion, send it to [email protected] to ensure I see it.

-NTI is not an option. Neither is a hybrid schedule. The state legislature passed SB 208 in the spring that mandates full-time, in-person instruction. I have received a lot of communication from families concerned about full classrooms, buses, etc. We are monitoring the data and I do believe our school admins are doing everything possible, but no Kentucky public school district can do hybrid schedule or full-time NTI without a change by the legislature.

-What we CAN do if necessary is move an individual school to virtual learning if the numbers for that school warrant it. That would not count as NTI and this point was clarified by the KBE last week.

-Students that have to quarantine are not counted as "absent." That was announced a day or two before JCPS opening day. When I had originally told folks the kids would be counted absent, it was true but that info has been updated and I apologize for any confusion.

-Masking helps to lower the number of students (and staff) that are required to quarantine after an exposure. I've said all along that if the goal is for us to keep our buildings open, universal masking is a simple action we can take to make that happen.

-Finally, have a back-up plan. If your child has to quarantine they CAN NOT come to school. I got the call at around 4:00 pm and I think other parents have received them later in the evening than that.

media1.tenor.co

For those interested in the Pathfinder (virtual) option for elementary students, the application is now available: apps.jefferson.kyschools.us/PathfinderScho…

404 - File or directory not found.

Why did I vote for masks?
-Because I want kids IN SCHOOL. CDC guidance for quarantine is enforced by local health depts and not JCPS. Here is the info (below) for that, including the definition of “close contact.” You’ll see that masking reduces the risk of quarantines significantly for our kids, which keeps them IN SCHOOL.
-The state legislature did not extend emergency employment protections for quarantine which means that JCPS staff would have to use their sick time if ordered to quarantine. Likewise, parents would have to find arrangements or miss work as well. This not only impacts students but the entire local community.
-The state legislature eliminated the long-term NTI option. If the District has mass quarantines, the average daily attendance for the school year will be adversely impacted. That means that the state allocation through the SEEK funding formula will decrease the following year. Does that directly impact me as a Board member? Nope. It impacts how many teachers we can hire, how much technology we can put in schools, and additional resources we can provide students and families. In short - it hurts our KIDS. Further, because attendance rules for school are largely included in statute, students would be considered “absent” which, I know, also upsets a lot of families.

I understand and share a lot of the concerns expressed by patents and teachers. It is my sincere hope that masking will soon be able to be withdrawn. However, if we are committed to keeping kids IN SCHOOL it seems to be the only way forward for now.

I hope we can unite as a community and support our kids’ learning while keeping them healthy, and safe.

https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/php/contact-tracing/contact-tracing-plan/contact-tracing.html

Health Departments COVID-19 guidelines, tools, and resources for health departments.

Clarification: Tonight's JCPS meeting is NOT a regular Board meeting and NO votes will occur. This is an opportunity for community feedback regarding use of the ESSER funds which are federal funds allocated in response to the pandemic. While there are many ways the funds can be used, they are not without guidelines. If you are interested in learning about acceptable ways districts can spend their ESSER dollars, you can read about that here:

Resources - Office of Elementary and Secondary Education American Rescue Plan Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ARP ESSER) State Plan Application Technical Assistance ARP ESSER State Plan Webinar Recording (04.29.2021) Note: Viewers can click on the CC button to see (or not see) the Webinar Recording closed captioning ARP ESSER State Plan....

If you are a CURRENT K12 parent and/or educator, please take about 30 seconds to share your opinion. I know this isn't best practice for collecting data but it will just give me a little snapshot in addition to other sources of information. Thanks in advance!

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSd_1PWZWSl2OIDcx8Reo6z7Eks2b5y_FM4JdK5btDTGclWsuQ/viewform?usp=sf_link

2021-2022 School Year Masking for students

Want to share your input for how JCPS uses federal syimilus funds? Complete the survey located on the JCPS homepage. https://www.jefferson.kyschools.us/node/190175

Federal Stimulus Funding Community Feedback | JCPS To help school districts across the country rebuild and come back stronger after the pandemic, the federal government has established several rounds of stimulus funding grants called the Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) Funds. The JCPS Office of Communications is seeking feed...

Yesterday’s statement from Kentucky Commissioner of Education, Dr. Jason Glass.

https://www.kentuckyteacher.org/news/2021/07/commissioner-jason-e-glass-statement-to-kentucky-interim-joint-committee-on-education-on-july-6-2021/

Commissioner Jason E. Glass’ statement to Kentucky Interim Joint Committee on Education on July 6, 2021 | Kentucky Teacher News Commissioner Jason E. Glass’ statement to Kentucky Interim Joint Committee on Education on July 6, 2021 By Jason Glass - July 6, 2021 0 222 tweet Thank you, Madam Chair and members of the committee. I appreciate the opportunity to speak to you today virtually and regret that I am not in pe....

Partisanship has no place in Education. Board members are elected as non-partisans in Kentucky to dissuade those with a singular agenda from seeking this office. If an individual or group is using terms like "Republican/Conservative" or "Democrat/Liberal" in their arguments about policy, curriculum, spending, or anything else, I promise you they do have a political agenda. Education advocates talk about children, pedagogy, best practices, supports, partnerships, programs, resources, and other strategies for building solid systems and expanding opportunities. Don't let those with agendas cloud the discussions with their vitriol and assignment of good guy/bad guy identities. Even if you agree with a single partisan argument in theory, do you really want Education to become subject to the same partisan dysfunction that we see at every other level of government?

I want to hear from my constituents and respond to your questions. If you’d like to ask a question, please post it in the comments below. I ask that everyone maintain respectful language and decorum.

I am working on creating one comprehensive statement to share with you. I think that’s most efficient and allows everyone to read the exact same thing from me.

https://www.courier-journal.com/story/news/education/2021/06/23/critical-race-theory-what-know-louisville-jcps-protests/5320061001/

What to know about critical race theory and JCPS after protests during a board meeting Jefferson County Public Schools is focused on racial equity efforts, not critical race theory. But Louisville protesters confuse the two terms,

Check out the JCPS Board meeting at 6:00. Link in the comments.

Per the governor, masks will still be worn in school.

Friends, I want to clarify something: JCPS will NOT be on a hybrid schedule for the 2021-22 school year. I don't know where the rumor is coming from the from the volume of messages I have received the last few days it seems that misinformation is being shared. Some facts:

*The provisions allowing for a hybrid schedule and extended NTI expire at the end of the current school year and were a specific response to the pandemic.
*NTI will return to its original parameters - up to 10 days used by districts in the even of snow or other community emergencies. This has been in place in many districts for several years prior to the pandemic.
*JCPS is developing a separate virtual school option for grades 6-12 that is 100% OPTIONAL for students whose families CHOOSE that program.
*There is NO legal mechanism for JCPS to be on any other type of calendar but the typical 5-day week.
*There has been ZERO suggestion to remain hybrid/virtual by anyone on the Board, working for JCPS, working in state government, representing any union, or elected to any office.

Please feel free to share this post or copy/paste as needed to provide folks with accurate information.

Our next JCPS Board meeting is Tuesday at 6:30. Link to the agenda and to view the meeting is in the comments.

Please stop spreading rumors, y’all! Link to the full thread in the comments.

Comments on the February 25th Special Meeting of the JCPS School Board:

While there were many who did, I don’t expect everyone that has contacted me about the outcome of the vote to have watched all three hours of the meeting. After a great deal of deliberation, the Board approved an amended plan 4-3 to open our buildings with all students on a hybrid schedule. I can’t speak for my colleagues but can share with you why I voted for that amended plan.

I have frequently talked about the issues facing some of our most in need children. Crises like neglect, abuse, hunger, housing insecurity, and trauma are far more difficult to detect over a virtual platform for even the most dedicated and observant educators. This is particularly true if the student or family actively tries to hide those conditions. I also stated in the meeting that despite the Herculean efforts of JCPS staff, there are many experiences and services that cannot be fully replicated virtually.

Based on the emails I received, the greatest safety concern by far was the large class sizes that elementary schools were going to experience. High rates of families choosing in-person instruction but still having a need for virtual instructors left many of our schools unable to implement distancing guidelines in classrooms with additional challenges in other areas of the buildings. Though the hybrid schedule is not the desired option for our young learners, it is the safest.

Making a decision that directly or indirectly impacts everyone in a community of over 700,000 people is not something I have taken lightly. I have spent countless hours reading, researching, speaking to community professionals, and reading and responding to hundreds of emails. Thank you to everyone that shared their concerns and opinions. I know my inbox is full but after weeks of committing every spare moment to this decision, I am going to spend this weekend with my family and will resume checking emails on Monday.

Sarah

media.tenor.co

The most reliable assessments of what children know/can do come from what they do in their classrooms. No teacher ever said, “I sure wish a multi-million dollar company would tell me what the kids are struggling with!”

Testing waivers must be applied for by the state, not individual districts. KDE has stated the intent to apply once the US Dept of Ed makes them available which can’t occur until the new Secretary is confirmed by the Senate. Until then, the state and districts are legislatively required to move forward as though testing will happen.

KPREP has not been part of any discussion I’ve been a part of regarding a return to in-person instruction. Only individuals with no part in the discussions have stated that it is a factor.

People have questioned my comment regarding teachers collecting papers in person as well as my understanding of science and intelligence. I’ve received screen shots all morning that have been pretty entertaining.

Just as parents want Board members to ask their questions, teachers do as well. Last fall when no one thought we’d still be in NTI by this point, they had originally been told that when they collected anything from students they would have to leave those items aside for a few days before they’d be able to grade them. Several teachers had asked me about that and though I knew the answer, I thought it was important to ask during the meeting so that they’d know I do read their messages and they could all hear the same response. In fact, some parents have also asked if their students would be “safe” to bring things like folders and supplies back and forth between home and school.

Part of public service is asking the questions that those you represent ask of you. I am not on the Board to serve my own agenda but to serve my community and to be a voice for those that do not feel empowered to use their own. There are teachers and families with genuine fear and it is my job to assuage those fears when possible, regardless of any public ridicule I may receive on social media. That is also part of being transparent; speaking for all sides of an issue and not only one.

Thanks for understanding and if you have any confusion in the future about my comments or questions, you’re welcome to reach out.

Link to tonight’s 6 pm School Board meeting: https://portal.ksba.org/public/Agency.aspx?PublicAgencyID=89