Reopening of Kansas schools delayed as Gov. Laura Kelly imposes COVID-19 common sense

Parents, students and teachers should breathe a sigh of relief, albeit 6 feet apart, after Gov. Laura Kelly Wednesday sagely delayed the reopening of Kansas schools until after Labor Day.

Throwing school doors open a month or less from now seemed highly improbable, and certainly reckless during the state’s current spike in coronavirus cases. On Wednesday, the Kansas Department of Health and Environment reported 20,933 cases in 102 of the state’s 105 counties, with 299 deaths.

Kelly noted the state’s record-high infection rate of 451 new cases a day in the week ending July 13, and threats to intensive care unit capacities in Lawrence and Wichita hospitals. Kansas has tied Alabama for sixth place in the nation in the rate of growth in cases, with an increase of 65% during the past two weeks.

Just hours after the State Board of Education approved a nonbinding 1,080-page guide for local districts to follow in reopening, Kelly said she will issue twin executive orders on Monday that will delay school until Sept. 9 and make many of the state education board’s guidelines mandatory — such as masks and social distancing in all schools in the state.

“We have already seen what happens when guidelines are voluntary,” she said at a press conference Wednesday. “Putting nearly half a million kids in daily large gatherings is the exact opposite of what health experts have urged us to do. The board and I are united in prioritizing the health of our students and faculty.”

Kelly’s decision to delay school reopenings is deliberate and measured. But it remains to be seen whether the state can even reopen schools safely immediately after Labor Day.

We’re certainly not there now. Notwithstanding a ton of research and collaboration among the state’s education agencies and organizations, does anyone seriously believe parents, students and teachers were ready to go back to school in mid-August?

Teachers sure don’t feel that way: A Kansas National Education Association spokesperson says some 40% of teachers polled would rather not go back to in-person schooling until there’s a COVID-19 vaccine.

Kelly pointedly faulted legislative leaders and others who have pooh-poohed masks and the need to open slowly, saying they’ve put politics above the public health. They’ve certainly put grandstanding above common sense. Kelly and Dr. Lee Norman, secretary of the Kansas Department of Health and Environment, both noted the spikes in coronavirus cases following the Memorial Day and July Fourth holidays.

“We’re now seeing the consequences,” Kelly said.

“We need healthy Kansans to ensure a healthy Kansas economy,” Norman said.

In an online article titled, “Waiting for the all-clear,” the Kansas National Education Association this week compared the school reopening dilemma to a tornado warning — and, in this case, medical experts haven’t even begun to sound the all-clear. Far from it. The coronavirus siren is blaring as loud as ever.

“Other states that reopened even earlier have seen cases increase and grow so badly that they now have to go back to shutdowns in states like Florida, Texas, Arizona, and California,” the state’s preeminent teachers’ organization said. “Unfortunately, Kansas looks to be joining that list. … Now, several states have put Kansans on a 14-day quarantine list for citizens returning after visiting Kansas.”

The KNEA position should be everyone’s: It’s as important how schools reopen as when. How safe can schools be made, and what will it take? The State Board of Education’s guidance is a tremendous start, but it’s only a start.

Schools cannot reopen unless and until every possible safety measure is firmly and conspicuously in place — and the state is no longer in a condition of uncontrolled spread of coronavirus.

This story was originally published July 15, 2020 at 5:05 PM.