Educator at Olathe middle school dies of coronavirus, district confirms
An educator at Mission Trail Middle School in Olathe died of complications from COVID-19 over the weekend, district officials confirmed Monday.
John Hickman, a paraprofessional, had been ill for “a number of weeks,” Principal Rachelle Waters said in an email. He had not been in the school building since Sept. 24, she said. Middle school students were learning online then and had not been allowed to return to classrooms.
“John made a tremendous impact on our building on a daily basis,” she wrote in the email, which was sent to Mission Trail families. “He will be deeply missed. Please keep his family in your thoughts during this tough time.”
Waters encouraged families to reach out if “you feel your child needs some additional support.”
The announcement came as middle and high school students were allowed on Monday to learn in person for the first time this school year. Older students had been in online classes, but they began a hybrid schedule this week, learning in classrooms part of the time, and online the rest of the week.
Elementary students continue to attend in classrooms, full time.
Last week, the district reported 10 new COVID-19 cases among students, with 139 students instructed to quarantine due to exposures. Among staff, 19 new cases were reported last week, and 66 employees were instructed to quarantine, according to the district’s dashboard.
This story was originally published October 19, 2020 at 5:35 PM.
