Kansas City, Kansas schools to require mask-wearing amid renewed COVID-19 concerns
Amid growing regional concerns about COVID-19 resurgence, the Kansas City, Kansas Public Schools Board of Education has adopted a back-to-school plan requiring all students to wear face masks except for those with health exemptions.
School board members approved the fresh guidelines Tuesday night. The measure comes as area public health officials are concerned about the growing number of new cases resulting from the COVID-19 delta variant, which is spreading through parts of Missouri and beyond — especially in areas where vaccination rates are low.
Other requirements for Kansas City, Kansas students returning to in-person learning include obtaining all required immunizations under Kansas law, wearing masks on school buses and staying home if symptoms of COVID-19 are present. The school district plans to have daily continuous cleaning operation of its facilities and to practice social distancing in the classrooms to the best extent possible, according to the guidance.
Also in the back-to-school plan: holding activities outside whenever possible and improving ventilation and air circulation throughout school district buildings.
Students quarantined because of COVID-19 during the 2021-2022 school year will have access to virtual learning, according to the district. Families with questions about virtual learning are advised to contact student services.
On Monday, the American Academy of Pediatrics recommended that all students over the age of 2 and school staff should wear face coverings because many students are not eligible for vaccines. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, meanwhile, has maintained that only those who have not received the vaccine should wear face masks.
At the same time, metro area health experts have called on school districts across the Kansas City area to put in place certain mask requirements.
A group of 100 area physicians penned an open letter to district superintendents Tuesday recommending universal masking of children up through sixth grade and encouraged masks for older students in K-12. The doctors also said school leaders should follow strong contact tracing, isolation and quarantine procedures.
In Johnson County, health officials last week recommended school children wear masks if they have not been vaccinated.
This story was originally published July 20, 2021 at 8:10 PM.
