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Johnson County health department sees rising case numbers, pushes for schools to return to ‘red zone’

With a recent rise in coronavirus cases throughout the region, the Johnson County health department is now stressing that school districts return “red zone” operations after noting a marked  case increase in the county.

With the rising number of coronavirus cases in our area we wanted to know if students are heading back to remote learning.

The Johnson County COVID-19 dashboard indicates the number of new cases and percent of positive tests would lead schools to reconsider their current learning mode.

Most districts in Johnson County have at least some students learning in the classroom. Just last week the county said there was a 75 percent increase in coronavirus cases.

The Department of Health and Environment is recommending schools enter the Red Zone, which means closing up brick and mortar schools. The department also acknowledges it’s up to the schools to decide what’s best for their students, staff and families. It did mention schools may decide to remain where they are at but says there should be “heightened vigilance.”

The Olathe School district says in addition to the county gaiting criteria, it uses an additional metric.