A new wave of major Kansas City area school districts dropping COVID mask mandates
A new wave of school districts throughout the Kansas City metro this week dropped mask mandates as COVID-19 cases fall.
They include the Blue Valley and Shawnee Mission districts in Johnson County and the Independence and North Kansas City districts in Missouri. The decisions come as school officials expect both the Johnson County Board of Commissioners and the City Council of Kansas City to let their school mask orders expire.
In Johnson County, the board at its meeting on Thursday is expected to consider whether to end its health order mandating masks in all schools that serve students as old as sixth grade. The Gardner Edgerton school district last week already decided to drop its mask mandate in all schools, starting on Monday.
The Olathe school board also previously agreed to lift its mask mandate in all schools beginning on Feb. 18, one day after the Johnson County Commission will meet. District officials agreed that a school would temporarily return to a mask mandate if its absenteeism rate exceeds 7%.
On Monday, the Blue Valley school board agreed to immediately rescind its mask mandate. But if a school exceeds a 10% absenteeism rate due to illness, masks would be required again for at least two weeks. And the Shawnee Mission school board has agreed to make masks optional in middle and high schools, starting on Wednesday, unless a school building exceeds a 3% COVID infection rate, or absences exceed 5%.
Masks will continue to be required in Shawnee Mission elementary schools while the county mandate is in effect, officials said. If the county removes the mandate on Thursday, elementary schools will follow the same policy as secondary schools.
On the Missouri side, the Independence school district dropped its mask mandate, starting this week. And officials in the North Kansas City district said they do not expect the Kansas City school health order to be extended. As a result, masks will become optional for everyone in the district starting on Friday.
Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt wrote on Twitter that Independence dropping its mandate is, “Another big win for students and parents.” Schmitt, a Republican candidate for U.S. Senate, last month filed lawsuits against Independence, North Kansas City, Kansas City Public Schools and several other districts, arguing they do not have the authority to enact mask mandates.
But many Kansas City area districts defended their COVID rules against the threats, arguing that state law gives school boards authority over rules in their own districts.
Many districts maintained their mask orders earlier this winter as they struggled to keep school doors open due to massive staff absences and a severe substitute teaching shortage. Several Kansas City area districts, including Olathe and Kansas City, Kansas, temporarily closed schools last month because they could not staff buildings.
Officials have said that staffing issues continue, although shortages have been less severe this month as COVID-19 cases decline.
