Wichita schools will send K-12 students in-person 5 days a week after Spring Break

Students in all grade levels attending Wichita Public Schools will attend in-person classes five days a week in the fourth quarter of the academic year.

The Board of Education, in a 6-0 vote at Monday evening’s meeting, approved the USD 259 plan to return K-12 students to the classroom. The decision does not apply to students whose parents opted for remote-only learning. It also does not affect elementary onsite learning, which is already in-person five days a week.

Students who are enrolled in the onsite learning model will start going to classrooms every day of the week on March 29, which is the Monday after Spring Break.

Parents of remote students who want to change their enrollment to in-person for the fourth quarter must contact their schools to make the adjustments, Superintendent Alicia Thompson said. The district will continue COVID-19 protocols, including testing and mask-wearing.

The decision comes as local community coronavirus trends continue to improve. The district’s gating criteria, developed in August to guide reopening decisions, is the best it has been. Three indicators were in the green zone, while one was in the orange zone.

Kimberly Howard, the president of the United Teachers of Wichita union, said the improvement is thanks to the community wearing masks and following other health guidelines.

School data on COVID cases and quarantines have also trended better.

As of Friday, the district reported 307 employees were in active quarantines. That’s down from 622 as of Jan. 8. The district currently has an estimated on-site employee population of 7,757. The district has administered 4,590 first doses of a vaccine to school staff as of Sunday.

Summer learning opportunities have been expanded to elementary and middle schools to give students of all grade levels a chance for additional in-person instruction. The elementary and middle school plans run from June 7 to July 1, Monday to Thursday, mornings only. Enrollment will be open to students who are identified as needing additional academic support. High schools will use existing summer school programs.

Thompson said the district will not offer MySchool Remote next school year. The decision was not made by the school district, she said, as the Kansas Department of Education has determined that remote learning will not be allowed.

This story was originally published March 8, 2021 at 7:28 PM.