PRAIRIE VILLAGE, Kan. — As some Shawnee Mission School District students head back to school on Thursday, one detail will be different — students and staff will not have masks on.
District spokesperson David Smith says with all that has happened the past two years regarding COVID-19, 2022's first day feels good.
"It allows us to focus on what's most important, which is the teaching and learning regarding our students," Smith said. "There were a lot of distractions the past two years, but everybody's back in class. We know that we have the tools in place to keep our kids and our staff healthy, so we can really focus on the teaching and learning and getting our kids where they need to be."
SMSD's website states it will continue to monitor new cases of COVID-19 and work closely with the Johnson County Department of Health and Environment.
One goal the district has for the 2022-23 school year is to help secondary students find internships and figure out life outside of school.
Grades one through six as well as seventh and ninth graders started Thursday. All grades one through 12 are in session Friday with kindergartners and pre-K students returning Monday.
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