TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — The state school board is recommending that Kansas elementary schools continue in-person classes even if the spread of the coronavirus in their communities is so great that schools otherwise would close.
The State Board of Education on Tuesday updated its pandemic guidance, which many local school districts are following closely. The change comes after a surge in coronavirus cases across the state over the past month prompted some districts to return to online classes for many or all of their students.
Education Commissioner Randy Watson cited research showing younger students do not get as ill when infected. The state Department of Health and Environment reported that as of Monday, only 3.3% of the state’s 174,000 confirmed or probable cases and none of its more than 1,800 deaths for the pandemic were in children 9 years old or younger.
“The chance for the virus impacting elementary schools, both from a teacher and student standpoint, is so low that the risk of not being in school is higher than being in school,” Watson said.
The board also voted Tuesday to allow local districts to subtract up to 20 hours of professional development for staff from required hours of classroom instruction.