The Kentucky Department of Education has been working with the Department for Public Health to come up with a document outlining specific guidelines for school districts to follow come Fall.

They are looking at changes including bus stops and classroom changes.

While there are still a lot of questions from schools, parents, and students about exactly what the 2020-2021 school year will be like, one thing that is clear is face masks will be an added item on everyone’s back to school shopping list.

Kentucky Education Commissioner Kevin Brown said Monday during a virtual meeting with superintendents that this was to help curb the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

Brown said while state officials know that students will not be able to wear a mask every minute of every day, he hopes that district officials will give it their best effort. Teachers will be expected to wear masks as well.

White said COVID-19 is not going away without a vaccination, which health officials do not expect anytime soon.

Interim general counsel for the Kentucky Department of Education Todd Allen says schools will need a clear policy or procedure for responding when a student refuses to wear a mask, according to a state news release.

Another key issue is serving meals. Kids could expect to see meals served in classrooms, gymnasiums and even hallways according to guidance from the KDE.

Some schools might also offer “Grab and Go” meals in in cafeterias or hallways. Additionally, students could be assigned seats to “enable contact tracing to occur if an individual receives a positive diagnosis,” according to that same guidance from the KDE.

Every district will make specific decisions on which rooms to serve lunch in with the help of public health officials and future guidance from Governor Beshear.

The guidance released Monday also said that chairs should face the same direction during meals, encouraged extra time be given to students to allow for hand-washing, and said deep cleaning of food service areas would be required.

The healthy at school document is expected to be released later today.