State officials tell closed Kansas schools to teach online, use other options

Kansas school districts should continue to teach students for the rest of the academic year, but it is up to them to come up with their own plans on how to carry that out, a state task force announced Thursday.

Districts can teach by remote learning, sending home packets or even conducting some small in-person classes, the task force said. State graduation requirements will not change, but districts with higher standards may wish to lower them this year.

On Tuesday, Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly ordered all public and private schools in the state to close for the remainder of the academic year as a way to combat the spread of the new coronavirus. A task force of about 45 educators was asked to come up with flexible guidelines.

School districts can work off the guidelines to create their individual instruction plans, and must turn in those plans by April 15.

Students in rural communities may have the option of still attending in-person classes, as long as they are in groups of no more than 10. Larger schools may stick to online learning.

But however schools decide to tackle teaching over the next two months must comply with the guidelines set by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which advises people stay at least 6 feet apart to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

“We did not shut down schools in Kansas,” said Randy Watson, the state’s commissioner of education. He added buildings are closed through the week for deep cleaning, but instruction will continue through the academic year.

The task force recommends preschool students receive 30 minutes of instruction daily. For K-12 students, instruction can be done online, or students can receive packets of work to take home. The amount of daily instruction for each grade level varies:

▪ K-1: 45 minutes, conducted in 5 to 10 minute spans

▪ 2-4: 60 minutes, conducted in 10 to 15 minute spans

▪ 5-6: 90 minutes, conducted in 20-minute spans

▪ 6-12: 3 hours, with each class having 30 minutes

There was no recommended time of instruction for students with special needs, but districts should establish time frames for each class.

“We made sure we were being student-centered with an emphasis on student well-being,” said Cindy Couchman, a member of the task force and the assistant superintendent at Buhler school district, north of Wichita.

There will be no state assessments, Watson said.

Kansas requires students to have 21 high school credits to graduate, and that will not change, Watson said. Most school districts require more than that, but they can lower their requirements as long as they still meet the state standard.

The task force also recommended teachers create office hours so students can check in with any questions on classwork.

Teachers can use technology to connect with students under the task force’s guidelines. But Dyanne Smokorowski, an innovation and technology leader for the Andover school district, east of Wichita, recommended educators not rely only on tech because some families may have limited internet access.

“This is not sitting on a device all day long,” she said.

School districts were also advised to connect with local resources to supply students who may need food, clothing and internet.

“This is a time that Kansans can pull together,” Watson said. “For all the educators here, we need to reach out to our small businesses even more and make sure we’re helping them as much as they’re helping us.”

In Missouri, Gov. Mike Parson said he would leave it up to individual school districts to decide how long to close. In the Kansas City area, districts said they would remain closed until April 6 and may consider extending that.

This story was originally published March 19, 2020 at 1:01 PM.