KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Middle and high school students in the Shawnee Mission School District could return to the classroom at the end of October.
The district sent an email to families on Friday, updating them on changes based on updates to the Johnson County Department of Health and Environment's gating criteria for schools with respect to COVID-19.
The new criteria adds an "orange" category for when the percentage of positive cases is between 10.1 and 15% with the number of new cases in the community between 151 and 250 infections per 100,000 people.
The orange category allows for a hybrid learning option for middle and high school students with elementary schools in-person "following safe-opening principles."
SMSD said that if the county is in the orange or yellow category, middle and high school students who chose the in-person school option will transition to a hybrid plan starting Oct. 26.
Those students would attend class in-person twice each week. Students will be required to wear masks and practice social distancing in schools along with following other safe-reopening guidelines.
If the county's gating criteria places schools in the red zone, with more than 251 new cases per 100,000 and a greater than 15% positivity rate, all grade levels will revert to remote learning only.
The district said it will provide 14-day notice when moving students from one learning mode to another
