KANSAS CITY, Mo. — At a meeting Monday night, the superintendent of the Shawnee Mission School District plans to lay out her plan for addressing COVID-19 during the second semester.
Chief among the changes is offering a “test-to-stay” option for unvaccinated students who are exposed to someone with COVID-19.
Instead of automatically having to quarantine at home, this new option would allow the student to attend class in person, so long as daily COVID-19 tests come back negative for the seven days after exposure.
Across Kansas, Blue Valley, Olathe, and DeSoto school districts offer the option.
In October, Missouri gave districts permission to use the option.
Nationally, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, as well as the Biden Administration, recommended test-to-stay in December citing successful results at large districts near Los Angeles and Chicago.
Shawnee Mission’s school board meeting is at 5 p.m. Monday at the district’s Center for Academic Achievement at 8200 West 71st St., Overland Park, Kansas.
Testing would take place at the district’s Early Childhood Center near 83rd Street and Metcalf Avenue.
Students attending class with the test-to-stay option would have to wear a mask while in class and eat lunch at least six feet away from other students.
