Last of major Johnson County districts says older students can return to classrooms
Following the Johnson County health department relaxing coronavirus guidance for schools, the Olathe district announced it will allow older students to return to classrooms part time later this month.
Superintendent John Allison said in an email that middle and high school students will start in-person learning on Oct. 19, in a hybrid model. Middle schoolers will go to school buildings for part of the week, then learn online the rest. High school students will attend school for half days, five days a week.
Elementary students will continue learning in-person, full time.
Olathe is the last of the county’s major school districts to announce it would allow older students to return to school buildings in some form. But other districts are waiting longer to let that actually happen.
The announcement means many parents are one step closer to getting their wish for schools to fully reopen, a demand that has led to a series of protests outside district buildings. Other parents, though, worry that more students in school buildings could lead to more community spread of the coronavirus.
Allison said Olathe is following the guidance of the Johnson County Department of Health and Environment, which last week released new criteria to help districts determine whether it is safe to resume in-person classes.
Under the previous guidance, Johnson County was in the “red” zone as cases continue to rise, and officials warned against older students learning in person. But the new guidelines add an extra “orange” zone — which the county is now in— that advises districts that they can allow older students back in school in a hybrid model, as long as safety precautions are followed.
Health officials cite studies saying younger students are less likely to get or transmit COVID-19, and they aren’t safe if left home alone.
After the new criteria was released, the Shawnee Mission district announced that older students could return to in-person classes in a hybrid model by Oct. 26 — one week after Olathe. Shawnee Mission was the last district to allow elementary students back in classrooms. They returned to schools on Monday.
In Blue Valley, all students are now learning in-person at least two days a week. All of De Soto’s students have been allowed to return to in-person classes for part of the week. The Spring Hill district plans to bring older students back to class on Oct. 19. The Gardner Edgerton district has yet to announce a specific date for older students to return, but has said they will continue learning remotely until at least Oct. 30.
As of Wednesday morning, Johnson County had reported 11,743 coronavirus cases, and 160 people have died from the virus. Community spread remains high in the county, with 1,406 cases reported in the past 14 days.
This story was originally published October 7, 2020 at 11:02 AM.
