KCPS to change fall plans after KCHD advises against in-person schooling

Plans to a return to the classroom in the fall have changed for Kansas City Public Schools after word from the Kansas City Health Department advised against schools reopening.

A recent rise in coronavirus cases in the metro and across the state have spooked the public and education world as schools gear up for a return to learning in August.

Although the decision to return to the classroom remains up to individual school districts in Missouri, districts are facing pressure from multiple parties regarding what to do with students who have already had to experience a long break from in-person learning.

Kansas City Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Mark Bedell sent out an email relaying the change in plans to parents Monday, the same day the district had planned to roll out its reopening plan.

In the email Bedell noted the original plan to offer in-person schooling to parents who wish for their kids to receive it but said the updated health department guidance indicated that option was “not advised in Kansas City.”

Bedell wrote that the district will begin readjusting the plans over the next week, but the new plans will not include an in-person option.