TOPEKA, Kan. — As part of the state’s continued efforts to prevent the spread of the coronavirus, Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly “strongly recommended” Sunday night that all school districts close for the next week.
Though many districts in the state are on spring break, Kelly said the recommendations will give educators time to plan for other learning environments, which could include online learning.
“This was not an easy decision,” the governor said Sunday night.
Kelly’s announcement included the creation of a task force that will work with education officials to plan if further closures are called for.
The Kansas State Department of Education issued a statement Sunday night in which Kansas Education Commissioner Randy Watson recommended that schools that will be finishing spring beak "suspend operations" from March 16-20.
"Closing all schools during this same period of time provides Kansas officials the time needed to finalize a comprehensive plan for how to address COVID-19," the statement read. "It is critical that we all follow a coordinated response to this situation. This announcement does not directly impact districts in Johnson County, as all districts are on spring break from March 16-20, 2020; however, we commend Commissioner Watson on making this important recommendation."
As of Sunday night, Kansas had reported nine positive cases of COVID-19. One of those cases, an elderly Wyandotte County man, ended in a death.
The Kansas Department of Health of Environment reports 174 people have been tested for the virus, with 166 of those tests coming back negative.
Johnson County, Kansas, leads the state with six cases, with one case reported in Wyandotte, Butler and Franklin Counties.
This is a developing story and will be updated.
