KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Following the recommendations of Johnson County health leaders, Olathe Public Schools will begin the 2020-21 school year with middle and high school students learning from home.
Based on gating criteria developed by the Johnson County Department of Health and Environment, relying on guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and input from Children’s Mercy Hospital, the COVID-19 outbreak in the county is currently in the Red zone.
That places school settings as a likely place for coronavirus transmission.
Public health officials’ recommendation — based on a positivity rate between 10 and 15% with a relatively steady rate of new cases — is for elementary schools to be open following safe-opening principles, but for middle and high school classes to be remote only until the positivity rate drops below 10%.
“We share in your disappointment that we could not begin the year as we hoped, with a full, in-person option. In the end, the safety and health of students and staff is our first priority,” according to a statement from the Olathe Public Schools Administration.
Olathe is tweaking that guidance and will use a hybrid education plan for elementary students.
Students in kindergarten through fifth grades will be grouped by last name with some students attending class in-person Mondays and Tuesdays and the other half of students in the classroom Thursdays and Fridays.
The hybrid model only applies to families who chose the in-person learning option. Families who preferred the remote-learning option will remain with their remote groups.
Decisions about athletics and activities will be made on a week-by-week basis. Practices will continue through the end of this week and athletes, coaches and parents will be notified at the end of the week if practice will be allowed next week.
The district plans to re-evaluate the data on new cases and positive testing rates Sept. 22 to decide its next step.
