KANSAS CITY, Mo. — In a week that saw Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly announce she will order a delay to school reopening, the Missouri side of the metro might be coming to the same conclusion.
On Monday, Kansas City Public Schools is planning to announce additional information about its back-to-school plan.
Details of the plan remain mostly under wraps, but on Friday, the director of the city’s health department said reopening schools on schedule is unlikely.
“Right now, I think the chance is less than 20% we will be able to open schools on schedule and keep them open this fall,” Kansas City, Missouri, Health Department Director Dr. Rex Archer said in a statement to 41 Action News.
Archer said that even if schools are able to open, there’s a chance they’ll have to close again during spikes of COVID-19.
“Some classrooms or schools may open and close, open and close,” he said.
One thing that could alleviate his concerns would be continued mask wearing. The city is one of several metro jurisdictions currently mandating mask usage in many instances.
Archer said he hopes there’s enough mask compliance to change the COVID-19 trends, but “that’s not evident yet.”
