Will Shawnee Mission OK fall sports, kids in classrooms? Board sets special meeting
A couple of days into the fall semester, the Shawnee Mission school board will hold a special meeting Wednesday afternoon to discuss its reopening plan and whether to allow fall sports.
The other two largest districts in Johnson County, Olathe and Blue Valley, decided last week to allow high school sports and activities to resume. Shawnee Mission is the only district in the county that continues to suspend sports.
Four high school golfers sued Shawnee Mission over that decision.
The school board will meet at 4 p.m. Wednesday, with an agenda of two discussion items: a remote learning update, and activities and athletics.
Shawnee Mission is also the only district in the county that is requiring all students to learn online. The district made its decision to start the school year remotely after Johnson County health officials warned against most students returning to classes due to the ongoing surge in COVID-19 cases. Officials also advise against allowing sports because the rise in coronavirus cases puts the county in the “red” zone.
But per the health department’s guidance, elementary students could return to class. Officials said that advice is based on research showing that younger children are less likely to transmit the virus. In addition, the officials said, “most young children are unable to stay home safely by themselves.”
Both Olathe and Blue Valley allowed elementary students back into classrooms this week. They are learning in a hybrid model, going to school for part of the week and learning online for the rest.
But Shawnee Mission officials decided against offering different learning models for different grade levels.
Shelby Rebeck, health services coordinator for Shawnee Mission, said the district decided to “take it slow and do it right,” especially as health experts learn more about the disease’s effect on children. “That doesn’t mean we aren’t bringing elementary kids in as soon as we can. It just means we’re starting with caution,” she said at a recent school board meeting.
Staff members, including teachers, returned to school buildings on Aug. 25 “to establish, implement and test those practices and procedures, so we were ready to get it right on day one,” and begin to transition to a hybrid model for pre-K through fifth grade, said district spokesman David Smith.
Officials previously said that they will continually monitor COVID-19 data to determine when to bring students back into classrooms and whether to allow sports and activities to resume.
This story was originally published September 9, 2020 at 11:38 AM.
