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Students at two Blue Valley elementary schools are returning to permanent classrooms this week after years of using mobile units outside the main buildings.
Leawood and Cedar Hills elementary schools have completed building additions that bring all students back inside the main school buildings, fulfilling a promise made in a 2023 bond issue.
"The intent of those is a temporary fix for enrollment growth, and it's always been our plan that we'll put those in place only as long as we need them, and then eventually come back and put in a building addition," said Jake Slovodnik, Blue Valley Schools director of operations.
Slovodnik said Leawood Elementary had used mobile classrooms since 2019.
The new additions include classrooms, bathrooms and collaborative spaces, creating a more cohesive learning environment for students and staff.
"To have them be just a part of our family, just to be together, they already are feeling different than just a walk outside; changes everything," said Jenny Hayes, Leawood Elementary principal.
Hayes believes the change will strengthen the school community.
While each school utilized the mobile rooms differently, all will benefit from their removal, according to Slovodnik. Only two schools in the district still have mobile classrooms, which are scheduled to be eliminated by next school year.
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