Baker Intermediate School’s more than 800 students celebrated grandparents Thursday with a lunch at the school.

Susan Jacobs, assistant principal at baker, said grandparents are a vital part of the community.

“They are  the foundation of our community, and help students navigate and understand important aspects of their life so they can be better equipped citizens of this world,” Jacobs said.

Natalie Thomas, a teacher in the district, said that grandparents are playing more of a role in students’ education than ever because in many families across the district grandparents are acting as parents.

According to statistics from the district, 17 percent of elementary students and 18 percent of middle school students in Clark County live with someone other than their parents. in many cases, those students are being raised by their grandparents.

It’s not an issue unique to the county either. In fact, Kentucky has the highest rate of children living with someone other than their parents, with nearly 60,000 children being raised through kinship care — living with a different relative.

Regardless of living situation, all grandparents were celebrated at Baker Thursday, getting to spend time bonding with their grandchildren over a meal and getting a photo taken before students departed for recess that afternoon.