The Jr/Sr High School ended the first Trimester two days early on November 20 so teachers and students could use the two days before Thanksgiving to prepare for Remote Learning beginning on December 1.
The Board of Education had a special meeting on the afternoon of Sunday, November 15th to discuss USD 417’s response to the recent increase in positive COVID-19 cases in the community, state, and region. Administrators and the Board introduced a tiered system that they had created in cooperation with local health officials and KDHE.
County Health Officer, Dr. Frese, commended the school district on its efforts to reduce transmission of the virus, noting that the district has been successful at following guidance for wearing masks, social distancing, and sanitizing. Frese noted that while Morris County Hospital has only seen a handful of hospitalizations and one death due to the virus, the facility is already experiencing difficulty transferring local patients to ICU beds in-state, as the larger health care facilities in the state are reaching capacity and becoming overwhelmed by COVID-19 patients. Given these conditions, school administrators and local health officials have become extremely worried about the effect holiday travel and gatherings will have on area healthcare facilities, and the general consensus was that implementing less aggressive, mid-tier restrictions like not allowing spectators at activities or site-based testing for students and staff before activities would not be proactive enough. Ultimately, the board reluctantly voted to suspend all winter activities and move grades 7-12 to remote learning beginning on December 1.
The educational emphasis since Thanksgiving has been on delivering instruction while providing solid feedback. Students are concentrating on their own learning and connecting with their teachers and their classmates as best they can.
District leadership continues to monitor the situation and will make further decisions based on current statistics; guidance from community and state entities like KSHSAA and KDHE; and the probable local risk for students, teachers, and the community as a whole.
Story by Bryce Johnson and MHouse
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