OVERLAND PARK, Kan. — Ahead of a special 6 p.m. meeting between Shawnee Mission School District board members and representatives from the Johnson County Department of Health and Environment, a group of teachers and parents will rally outside the district’s Overland Park, Kansas, headquarters asking board members to move students to a 100 percent remote learning setting.
Jennifer Coleman, a middle school art teacher in the district, is leading the rally. She says data from the county and district show the number of positive COVID-19 cases is rising in the community and among students and staff. She fears those cases will impact students, teachers and their families.
“I love my students,” Coleman said. “They are the only reason this year has worked so far because really I do have the best students in the world. But I want to love them alive. I want them to continue to be safe.”
According to data from the district, the number of students and staff in isolation, because they have symptoms of COVID-19 or received positive test results, is the highest it’s been. 315 students are in isolation along with 53 staff members.
The district said less than six of those cases are related to exposure at a school or extracurricular event.
The director of the Johnson County Department of Health and Environment said there have been no outbreaks related to a school in the county.
On Oct. 30, Dr. Sanmi Areola said the lack of outbreaks is part of the reason he has not recommended county schools change from their current learning model.
“If we make different recommendations to the schools [in the red threat level] and it comes back to orange [threat level], then we'd make another recommendation, then we will have made about eight different recommendations, which is not our intention,” Areola pointed out.
Right now, elementary students in Shawnee Mission schools are learning in-person. Middle schoolers are in a hybrid model.
Coleman kept her son, who is in a district elementary school, in remote learning all semester and said he’s doing well.
“Frankly, I think he feels safe and that’s a big thing for us as parents, to know our kid feels safe,” Coleman said.
Her group will begin rallying outside the district headquarters at about 5 p.m. The meeting between board members and health department leaders is at 6 p.m. The board is not scheduled to vote on any recommendations, but the agenda says the board may take action Tuesday.
