Olathe district to teach older students online only, but grade school is different
The Olathe school district has decided to start the school year with online-only classes for its older students. But elementary students will be allowed to return to class in a hybrid model, going in person part of the time and learning from home the rest of the week.
District officials announced the decision Wednesday afternoon, after they received guidance on Tuesday from Johnson County health officials. Under the health department’s criteria, the surging number of COVID-19 cases put the county in the “red” zone, meaning most students should learn remotely.
When school starts on Sept. 8, officials said, middle and high schools will take classes only online. Elementary students will be divided in two groups, alternating learning in person and online depending on the day.
Officials said they will study data again on Sept. 22 to determine next steps.
“It is our hope that we can transition safely into full in-person learning after that time,” they said in a districtwide email.
Officials added that, “activities and athletics will be handled on a week-by-week basis to determine safety and next steps.”
Both the Shawnee Mission and De Soto districts announced on Tuesday that they would begin the school year with all students taking online-only classes next month. Shawnee Mission also temporarily suspended all sports, starting on Friday.
But the Blue Valley school board Tuesday night decided against following Johnson County’s criteria for opening schools. Instead, the district will form a committee to examine COVID-19 data in the district and the Kansas State Department of Education’s reopening criteria to determine whether to allow any students back in classrooms. A decision is expected by the end of the week.
Both the Spring Hill and Gardner-Edgerton districts will start with middle and high school students online. But elementary students will return to school in person, unless they opted for online classes.
Under Johnson County’s criteria, even in the “red” zone, elementary students could return to class, with social distancing and other precautions. Officials said, in part, that is because “most young children are unable to stay home safely by themselves.”
But Shawnee Mission decided to offer the same learning model for all grade levels. Blue Valley previously said it would do the same, but is now reconsidering that decision after several parents urged the district to allow elementary students back into classrooms. At a school board meeting Tuesday night, dozens of parents and students protested, urging the district to reopen all schools and allow fall sports.
Olathe officials said they are using the hybrid model for elementary schools out of caution, giving schools a better chance at social distancing and reducing class sizes.
Districts have been planning for three learning models this year: in person, online or a hybrid of the two. At enrollment, parents had to choose whether to send their students back to class when allowed or have them learn online for the entire first semester.
Fewer than 30% of Olathe students opted for online-only classes. No matter what the district decides this semester, they will stick with that learning model.
“We share in your disappointment that we could not begin the year as we hoped, with a full in-person option. In the end, the safety and health of students and staff is our first priority. There will be many questions and we are committed to providing answers,” Olathe officials said in the email.
Last month, the Johnson County health department released guidance to school districts on how to determine when it is safe to bring students back to class. It includes several reopening phases based on key metrics, including the positivity rate — which is the average percentage of positive COVID-19 tests over a 14-day period.
The positivity rate was 11.3% on Wednesday. That puts Johnson County in the “red” zone, meaning remote learning is recommended for older students, with no in-person sports or other activities.
A few other districts across the metro had already said it is unsafe to bring students back. The Kansas City, Kansas, district in July decided on fully online learning for the first nine weeks of the year.
On the Missouri side, the Kansas City school board decided to begin school with online classes only until case levels drop significantly. Lee’s Summit will also start online only, with an undetermined date for when class is in person.
This story was originally published August 19, 2020 at 5:36 PM.
