Highlands students thought they may be going back to school in two weeks.

Today, that became but a distant memory.

Originally, Highlands students were supposed to return to traditional school days on March 30. However, Governor Andy Beshear has asked that all schools continue nontraditional instruction (NTI) days until at least April 20.

At 5P.M. on March 20, Beshear spoke to the state of Kentucky during his daily COVID-19 update.

Beshear began the conference by acknowledging the sacrifices that Kentuckians are making on a daily basis. From closing businesses to not going to class, these actions strain communities, though Beshear claims that Kentucky will push through.

As of tonight,  there are 63 cases in the state. With the spread of COVID-19 cases within Kentucky, Beshear continues to enforce the act of social distancing within communities and schools.

In an earlier conference, Interim Commissioner of Education Kevin Brown explained that districts should prepare for an extended amount of nontraditional instruction days. The minimum of these days should be seven weeks, six of those weeks being instructional with one week set aside for spring break.

The governor asked, and Highlands has delivered.

In a message sent to all HHS parents, Highlands High School “will continue with our NTI program through Thursday, April 2.  We will be on spring break from Friday, April 3 through Friday, April 10. The NTI program will resume on Monday, April 13 through Friday, April 17. We anticipate a return to campus on Monday, April 20, 2020.”

It is advised that all students and faculty refrain from socializing face to face. The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) has recommended avoiding any social gatherings that exceed 50 or more people. As long as we continue in these steps, we will slow down the spread of COVID-19 in our state.

There is a slight chance that the NTI days will extend, but that’s only if the number of cases continues to increase over time, as Beshear claims. As a result, this is a developing story. More updates and information from the governor will be published as they surface.