Ballard County Schools Superintendent Casey Allen BALLARD COUNTY, KYÂ â After two months of all virtual instruction, Ballard County Schools will welcome the new year by welcoming back students next week. The district will return to in-person instruction on Monday, Jan. 4. Superintendent Casey Allen said he's looking forward to it. "I made a comment on a video that I sent to parents about seeing children's smiling faces," said Allen. "It's really hard, and I know that people can relate to this all across our state in our country. It's hard to own a restaurant and not have patrons in the restaurant. It's hard to own a clothing store and not have patrons in your store. It's really hard to work at a school and not have students in the school. And so the absence of students has been really difficult for all of us."