Owsley County Schools Announce NTI Day Feb. 10; Meals Approved

Owsley County School District announced that it would not hold in-person classes on Tuesday, February 10, 2026, designating the day as Non-Traditional Instruction, NTI day 10. The update came through the district’s official account and noted the closure amid likely weather or other disruptions.

District postings also carried a meals notice: “NTI Day Meals - 2/10/26: (Tuesday) Owsley County Schools have been approved to provide meals on NTI days through the National School Lunch Program.” That approval reflects a broader exception for Owsley: the district is one of a small number in Kentucky participating in a federal pilot that allows it to deliver food on NTI days and be reimbursed for those expenses. The Kentucky School Boards Association reported that Owsley “was one of the pilot districts in the state’s NTI program” and “was notified in early December that it had been selected for the pilot again this year.”

Statewide, more than 70 school districts were approved to use non-traditional instruction days this winter. The KSBA also noted a key constraint: “But the federal government does not reimburse districts for student meals on NTI days.” That makes Owsley’s pilot status significant for a small eastern Kentucky district where school meal costs and delivery logistics can strain local budgets during weather-disrupted weeks.

Superintendent Tim Bobrowski has emphasized the program’s importance in the past. As KSBA recorded, “when his district began using NTI days in 2011, not being able to feed students on those days was a concern.” For families in Owsley County, the pilot’s authorization can translate into continued access to school meals on days when students learn remotely, reducing pressure on household food budgets and on local emergency services.

An aggregated statewide closures list included an entry listing Owsley as “Closed Friday,” but that listing lacked a calendar date in the posting and appears to refer to a different announcement; the district-specific, dated materials point clearly to the Feb. 10 NTI designation. Exact meal pickup or delivery times, locations and eligibility details were not included in the district snippet and remain to be confirmed with school officials.

For local residents, the immediate impact is practical: students did not attend in-person classes on Feb. 10, and the district arranged to provide meals under the National School Lunch Program via the federal pilot. Longer term, Owsley’s participation highlights how federal policy experiments can alter the economics of rural schooling - enabling sustained meal access during weather disruptions while shifting reimbursement rules that affect school budgets. Watch the district’s official communications for logistics on meal distribution and for any updates about future NTI days.