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Due to rising COVID cases, Pike County Schools will be closed Friday, August 20, to allow for the deep cleaning and sanitization of all campuses. The cleaning will begin Friday and extend through the weekend, said Dr. Mark Bazzell, superintendent of Pike County Schools.

Extracurricular and scheduled co-curricular activities may continue Friday and through the weekend unless they are limited by COIVD restrictions.

Regular bus routes will not run.  However, bus routes for all academy and dual enrollment programs will run as scheduled. Students dual enrolled in a post-secondary institution should attend their classes Friday, Bazzell said.

Classes will resume Monday, August 23 for a Virtual Learning Day.

“Traditional in-school classes will resume Tuesday, August 24 and a strict health screening process will again be instituted at all schools and worksites for students and employees,” Bazzell said. “Parents should not send students to school who do not feel well or who have any COVID symptoms.”

A vaccine clinic sponsored by Dr. Elizabeth Dawson and the Charles Henderson Child Health Care Center will be held September 2.  Parents of students 12 and above should contact their school nurse if interested.

The safety of schools is of the utmost importance and every measure is being taken to keep our schools safe, including masks required in all schools, Bazzell said.

Last week, the Pike County Schools got off to an encouraging start for the 2021-2022 school year.

Bazzell said early “worries” about opening Banks Middle School during the construction period of the new facility were to no avail.

“Everything came together and we are where we thought we would be,” Bazzell said. “Enrollment is up between 40 and 46 students but we won’t know the exact numbers just yet. Enrollment could increase or decrease as we go along.”

The Pike County Schools are committed to providing face-to-face learning in a safe and orderly manner.

“We are not offering a virtual option this year but a Homeschool option is available,” Bazzell said. “That option includes about two to three percent of the school system’s total enrollment.

“We want to make the Homeschool option available here in Pike County for the parents who choose to homeschool their children.”

Bazzell said close tabs are kept on students who are enrolled in the Homeschool Program.

“We want to ensure that all our students receive the best education possible whether they are in the traditional classroom or schooled at home.”