The first week of the school year is expected to begin in a blended in-person and remote format, but schools must be ready to quickly adjust depending on the security situation, particularly after a series of lengthy air-raid alerts in recent days.
Options under consideration range from holding classes for younger students in shelters to hybrid or fully remote learning. Schools may also introduce second shifts.
“We are planning several scenarios together with school administrators so that each institution can respond to its specific situation and available resources,” Kyiv City State Administration Deputy Head Valentyn Mondryivskyi said.
“Decisions may be temporary and may change depending on the drone and missile threat, but the priority is the safety of children and staff.”
Parents will be able to choose from the learning formats made available by each individual school.
“One of the models we are currently considering is organizing in-person classes for primary school students inside shelters, with a separate space where some middle and high school students could continue studying online during an alert if necessary,” said Olena Fidanyan, director of the Kyiv City State Administration’s Education Department.
Authorities are also preparing for threats beyond air raids, including bomb threats, which Kyiv schools received almost daily last September, the city administration said.
Russia has attacked Kyiv and Kyiv Oblast with drones almost continuously for five consecutive days, with the capital experiencing dozens of air-raid alerts per day.
Kyiv had already declared seven air-raid alerts on Aug. 31 because of the threat from jet-powered drones.