KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- — As of Tuesday afternoon, Missouri metro students will not return back to their school until April 6 due to the coronavirus pandemic.
"It's very difficult," said Dr. Mark Bedell, Superintendent for the Kansas City Public School district. "It's unprecedented for many school districts to have students out this long."
Their approach will be a hybrid model.
"We're going to also provide work packets so we then will control for the lack of internet access for some of our families through this system we have set up," Bedell said. "We'll mail them and if we do not have the ability to get those to them through the mail, we will get in our cars and drop these packets off."
Many students already access their work on Google Classroom, and will continue to utilize that method over this break.
"We have a system already set to go, so we feel really good about that," Bedell said. "We're working on videos that will be available for some of the more tougher concepts. Our instructional coordinators are working on those videos by grade level by unit. That will all be available on our website if they need support."
The district also is making sure teachers are available during the day if parents and students have questions.
The district also will set up four food-distribution sites where students can get enough breakfast and lunch items to last them until they go back to school.
The locations and times will be announced on Wednesday.
Bedell said the sites will be open from 7 a.m. to 11 a.m. and 1 to 6 p.m.
The district plans to announce partnerships that will provide hygiene kits and extracurricular items, such as footballs and art kits.
"It's going to be the community coming together to help support our families," Bedell said.
The district has not said whether it will close school buildings for the remainder of the year, as Kansas schools were instructed to do.
