Answering Gov. Andy Beshear's call to stem the spread of the coronavirus, schools across Kentucky — including Jefferson County Public Schools, the state's largest district — announced they would shut down their classrooms for weeks.

JCPS, a district of nearly 100,000 students, will close Monday and remain shuttered until April 6. The Archdiocese of Louisville Catholic Schools also will close for that period.

Beshear called on all Kentucky public and private K-12 schools to close for at least two weeks — an aggressive but necessary move, he said, after announcing two new confirmed coronavirus cases, bringing the statewide total to 10.

A K-12 shutdown would affect nearly 1,500 public schools and roughly 650,000 public school students.

"I know it is going to create a big challenge," Beshear said during an evening press conference in Frankfort, but added that the closures are a "crucial step" to stemming the spread of COVID-19.

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Beshear said his instructions represented a "significant recommendation" for local districts. Following his instructions, a flood of districts, including JCPS, Bullitt County Public Schools and Oldham County Schools, announced closures.

JCPS Superintendent Marty Pollio said students may continue learning from home, using online lessons or paper copies of assignments. The assignments aren't mandatory.

With the closure, JCPS will miss nine instructional days in addition to its previously scheduled spring break. Pollio said those nine days likely will be tacked on to the end of the school year, pushing the final day of school to June 10.

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A new bill advancing in the state legislature would allow Kentucky districts to use 20 days of "non-traditional instruction" during the closures. Schools that implement remote learning during those days, through online or paper-based assignments, would not have to make up missed days at the end of the year.

Under that program, schools must attest to student learning during a closure.

Pollio said JCPS would not pursue that route, saying not all families have the resources needed to continue student learning at home.

Instead, JCPS said it would ask lawmakers to forgive its missed days — despite not taking part in the official nontraditional instruction program. If lawmakers take action, JCPS' final day of school would not be pushed back, said district spokeswoman Renee Murphy.

"We are asking lawmakers to forgive any days missed due to preventing the spread of the coronavirus," Murphy said. "As it stands right now, we would make up those days at the end of the year, but we are asking for forgiveness."

Beshear's call for statewide school closures came after he had warned each of the state's 172 school districts to be prepared to close on short notice.

JCPS will close:What parents need to know about assignments, meals

The Kentucky Department of Education had previously directed all districts to develop plans for continuing lessons from afar, should schools close. Before Beshear's directive, several districts already had announced monthlong closures.

The call for statewide K-12 closures comes after a similar announcement from the governor of Ohio. Gov. Mike DeWine announced Thursday afternoon all public schools there would have an "extended spring break" of three weeks, beginning Monday.

Maryland also announced it would shut down schools from Monday through March 27.

Taken together, the Ohio, Maryland and Kentucky closures will affect roughly 3.2 million students. Before the statewide shutdowns, more than 1 million students across nearly 30 states already had been affected by coronavirus-related school closures, according to the journal Education Week.

The U.S. Department of Education released guidance Thursday for how the nation's K-12 schools should handle closures, including how to serve special education students.

Schools continuing learning remotely should to the "greatest extent possible" ensure students are receiving services normally granted under their individualized education program or 504 plan. That means some students' take-home materials should be modified based on student need.

The federal Education Department also announced that it would consider granting one-year waivers to states should coronavirus closures affect their ability to implement standardized testing — meaning that schools wouldn't be held accountable for poor scores or for being unable to test their students.

JCPS' closure is expected to leave some parents scrambling for child care. Grandparents who may be typically pulled for emergency care are more susceptible to the virus — and children often do not show symptoms.

All events scheduled during the closure, including sports leagues, are canceled, JCPS said. With the last day of school now pushed back, high school graduations will likely be later than previously expected.

JCPS will offer free lunch to all students, regardless of family income, while schools are closed. Meals will be available for pickup Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. JCPS will offer more than 30 school meal sites and eight mobile meal sites.

Meals must be taken to go, via drive-thru or walk-up service, the district said.

Check out:What schools in Kentucky are closed because of the coronavirus?

Reporter Savannah Eadens contributed to this story. Have questions or concerns about how local schools are handling the coronavirus? Our education reporters want to hear from you. Contact Mandy McLaren at mmclaren@courierjournal.com and Olivia Krauth at okrauth@courierjournal.com.