Kelly to sign bill requiring KS schools to provide full-time in person classes by March 31
All Kansas school districts will be required to have an in-person option for students by the end of the month.
The Kansas Senate voted Wednesday to approve a watered down version of a policy originally proposed last month by Senate President Ty Masterson. It was approved by the House on Tuesday.
In a statement Wednesday Reeves Oyster, a spokeswoman for Gov. Laura Kelly, said the governor would sign the bill.
“SB63 is possible thanks to Governor Kelly’s decisive action to make Kansas one of the first states in the country to vaccinate every teacher who wanted to receive one,” the statement said.
Earlier this month, the House rejected a similar bill in the Senate that would have required all schools to provide an in-person option to students by March 26.
At the time, the bill would have only impacted a handful of districts as most were already scheduled to be back in school in person. But it would have also barred schools from requiring remote or hybrid learning at any point in the future.
Following a heated debate that focused on the actions of the Kansas City, Kansas, school district, the Kansas House of Representatives rejected the bill last week.
A new version, passed in the House Tuesday, requires students to be allowed back in the classroom by March 31 but did not mandate future actions.
Masterson, an Andover Republican, urged the Senate to approve the House version Wednesday despite the changes.
“It still is bringing our kids back to school,” Masterson said.
The Kansas City, Kansas, school district is one of the only systems impacted. The district, which serves a high proportion of low-income students, has relied upon remote learning throughout the pandemic and planned to bring students back in person on April 5.
District officials have said average health outcomes, family concerns and COVID-19 case rates in Wyandotte County guided decisions on remote learning.
But proponents said those districts were failing students with their decisions.
“Most of our schools are conforming to the science. They are in person and full time, the exception are the worst conformers that we have. I would add that the private schools in the same areas, in our inner urban core started full time with no issues,” said Rep. Sean Tarwater, a Stillwell Republican.
Rep. Valdenia Winn said the tweaks were meaningless as lawmakers still were dictating policy rather than discussing why schools might be considered failing.
“I don’t think the tweaks change the fact that you’re going over the jurisdiction of local school boards,” Winn said.
This story was originally published March 24, 2021 at 5:14 PM.
