KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Some Kansas City area schools are taking action to prevent the spread of COVID-19.
The Barstow School confirmed a person related to a faculty member tested positive for coronavirus.
The school told 41 Action News that the patient did not come into contact with students or any other faculty or staff member.
Nonetheless, the Barstow School is closed Friday and will extend spring break through the next two weeks.
Parents will be updated if more information becomes available.
The Barstow School is just one of several metro schools closing early ahead of spring break.
The current state of emergency in Kansas City, Missouri, influenced the school district's decision to close Friday.
KCPS Superintendent Mark Bedell released a video saying school leaders are looking at the best way to keep students safe, while also finding a way to continue education.
He said parents can expect an update sometime next week, if there will be any changes beyond spring break.
In Missouri, Megan Herron's two children are among the more 29,000 students who won't be in an Olathe classroom on Friday.
"I got a text message saying, 'check your email,' so I was able to make quick accommodations since I do have to work tomorrow," Herron said.
The Olathe district chose to close Friday after receiving guidance from the health department and to start deep cleaning their buildings.
"I just tell them what they need to know I just let them know people are getting sick and that everyone is trying to be safe with them," Herron said.
Safety is also a priority a few miles north at the Shawnee Mission School District.
Superintendent Dr. Mike Fulton told the school board during a special meeting Thursday teachers sent electronic devices home to students grades 3 through 12, in case of a potential closure after spring break.
At this point, the school district doesn't have the infrastructure in place to do virtual learning
"Well that's a very specific skill and we really haven't trained our staff in order to do that well we also have the challenge that for some of our students they don't have the quality of internet at home to be able to access that," David A. Smith, chief communications officer for the Shawnee Mission School District said.
During spring break, Olathe and Shawnee Mission will join several other school districts metro-wide on not having any student practices or activities.
"They're very intentional about following this and working together with the experts to make sure we're doing the right thing to keep our kids safe," Smith said.
Rockhurst High School is the first school in the area to commit to virtual learning after spring break. The president of the private, Catholic school sent a note to parents Thursday. He extended spring break until March 26 and said classes will be online from March 26 to April 3.
KCPS shared this statement with parents:
Due to today’s announcement from the City of Kansas City declaring a State of Emergency because of the Coronavirus pandemic, Kansas City Public Schools will be closed tomorrow, Friday, March 13.
We are already scheduled to be closed for Spring Break from Monday, March 16 through Monday, March 23. Athletic and other events in our school district will also be canceled during Spring Break.
Because this is a fluid and evolving situation, we will be in communication with our staff and families next week regarding how we will approach the week after Spring Break. We are in constant communication with the city, the health department, the Centers for Disease Control, the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education and our neighboring school districts. Our priority is keeping our students, staff, families and community safe and healthy.
Two items of importance: This situation is fluid and we are monitoring this hour-by-hour. We will continue to keep you updated through our email system, phone calls, our website and social media. Our constantly updated KCPS Coronavirus webpage is a great source of information about topics like staying healthy, previous communications and guidelines: https://www.kcpublicschools.org/coronavirus [kcpublicschools.org]
We are planning for services like food distribution, virtual learning and deep cleaning in case we cancel school after Spring Break. We know that our families depend on us for multiple services and we commit to continuing to support our families in the event of future closures.
Again, we will be communicating with our staff and families throughout our response to the coronavirus epidemic. We will be updating each of you as information is available and confirmed. It’s important to note that how we approach this as leaders, teachers, parents and community members has a lasting impact on our students and our school district. We are here to help and support each of you. Thank you for being partners in taking care of students and families.
—
