Kansas governor, education department ‘strongly recommend’ closing schools this week
Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly and the state’s top education leaders Sunday recommended public schools suspend operations for the upcoming week as the new coronavirus spreads.
But Kelly stopped short of ordering closures like officials have done in some other states.
Kansas Education Commissioner Randy Watson in a statement recommended districts close schools coming off of spring break and suggested schools close from March 16 to March 20. Kelly reiterated the recommendation at a news conference.
“This was not an easy decision,” Kelly said. “We’re recommending a temporary closure of our schools to give educators time to make plans for the safest learning environment possible moving forward.”
Most Johnson County schools already are scheduled to be closed for spring break this week. And some Kansas districts had already announced plans to close, including districts in Lawrence and Manhattan.
“Closing all schools during this same period of time provides Kansas officials the time needed to finalize a comprehensive plan for how to address COVID-19,” the Kansas State Department of Education said on Twitter. “It is critical that we all follow a coordinated response to this situation.”
In a statement Sunday, officials from Johnson County school districts said families should “continue to proactively make plans for the very real possibility of a school closure beyond spring break.”
An increasing number of school districts across the country are shutting down as the new coronavirus spreads. Several states have closed schools and New York City said Sunday it plans to close its schools as well.
“We are really trying to take a Kansas approach to this: a risk-based, strategic plan to address the issues as they come up and to plan for those in the future,” Kelly said when asked why she is recommending schools close and not ordering them to close.
The governor said officials don’t believe it’s necessary to close schools for the rest of the semester, “but we want to be able to plan for that.”
The state board of education has formed a team of experts to build a “comprehensive plan” for how schools can respond to the pandemic, Kelly said. She said they will examine how schools can move education online if needed and how schools can assist students without access to online tools. Additionally, the team will look at what can be done for at-risk students and those with individualized education plans, as well as how to provide mental health services and meals.
The team will make recommendations later this week, Kelly said.
Also on Sunday, the Kansas Department of Health and Environment issued new guidance that recommended a 14-day home quarantine for Kansans who travel internationally, on a cruise ship or to a state with widespread transmission, such as California, New York and Washington state.
The agency also recommended the two-week quarantine for anyone who traveled within the last week to Eagle, Summit, Pitkin and Gunnison counties in Colorado.
“One thing we want to stress is that having contact with someone who may have been exposed to someone who may be a COVID-19 case is not a reason to worry or quarantine yourself,” Lee Norman, the department’s secretary, said in a statement. “Public health officials will notify you if you are a close contact of a confirmed case of COVID-19.”
The recommendations came days after Kelly issued a state of emergency following the death of a man in his 70s, who lived in a long-term care facility in Wyandotte County and was posthumously diagnosed with the virus.
Nine people, including six in Johnson County, have tested positive for the virus in Kansas.
There have been five cases in Missouri, none of which has been in Kansas City.
This story was originally published March 15, 2020 at 5:47 PM.
