Kentucky kids, parents come to Lexington to gear up for new academic year

LEXINGTON, Ky. (WKYT) - Families came from near and far to the Hamburg area of Lexington Sunday, spending the final days of their summer recess together to prepare for the new school year.

“We came from McKee to buy some supplies for my granddaughter Madeline, she’ll be starting preschool,” said Mary Ann Keck of Jackson County.

From materials for a midday snooze to comfortable new clothes to the basics like pen and paper, school-bound students were gathering up all their essentials. For some, it means more than just taking a trip to the store.

“It’s been a tradition for 15 years,” said Brandy Holley about going back-to-school shopping. “We started with our older kids who are now in college and we just continue it with our younger kids.”

Even if their kids aren’t so fond of what the tradition entails.

“It’s the pictures he doesn’t like, he likes to do the shopping,” Holley said.

Brandy Holley is the principal of McNabb Middle School in Montgomery County. As both a parent and a principal, she wants everyone to be safe and take precautions when it comes to COVID and schooling.

”We just try to take care of ourselves but we know that we have to go about life and figure out how to maneuver through this,” said Holley.

But she’s hoping that this year, COVID won’t be a cause for any more concern than what it’s already brought her and other educators across the commonwealth.

“I’m excited to have my kids back, I love seeing their faces, so having them without masks is a huge blessing for us,” Holley said. “I’m hopeful we’re able to keep that for the entire year.”

Holley says Montgomery County Schools start this Thursday, August 11. In Lexington, most students will take their seats on Wednesday. While Fayette County Public Schools are mask-optional, Superintendent Demetrus Liggins strongly recommends masking indoors while the county is in the red.

In a letter to staff, Liggins also said that since COVID-19 will be with us for the foreseeable future, they have to integrate it into how they operate - rather than allowing it to be their primary focus.

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