Reopening schools amid COVID is risky. Will Wichita shift course if the worst happens?

It’s easy to understand why Stan Reeser and a majority of Wichita Board of Education members want middle- and high-schoolers back in schools pronto.

“We have already lost last spring. We have already lost this nine weeks for some students and parents,” Reeser said Tuesday night, referring to the district’s full-remote model for secondary students and pressing for the hybrid plan board members approved.

“I believe it is time that we start cautiously moving toward more in-person learning.”

But as board member Ben Blankley noted, the new plan for Wichita secondary schools could be “the worst of both worlds,” and district leaders must be willing to shift course quickly if things go badly.

Beginning Nov. 9, families who opted for in-person learning at the start of the school year will have the option of sending middle- and high-schoolers to school two days a week. Half the students will attend Mondays and Tuesdays in person; the other half, Thursdays and Fridays.

The half not in school will be connected remotely and — here’s one troubling part — teachers will conduct in-person and online lessons simultaneously.

Reopening large schools in the state’s largest district could worsen the spread of the coronavirus, which is spiking again. Most Kansas counties are in the red zone for the rate of new COVID-19 cases.

Many teachers also worry that teaching both in-person and online will be overwhelming and untenable.

But Wichita board members largely discounted those arguments, opting instead for a hybrid plan they declared impractical two months ago.

They also ignored Kimberly Howard, president of United Teachers of Wichita, who urged board members to take more time, follow established return-to-school guidelines and acknowledge the reality of this pandemic.

“Common sense and science indicate a near certainty that the next two or three months will see a significant increase in COVID cases,” Howard told the board.

“Given that near certainty . . . and given the unanswered questions about the proposed plans for middle and high school, we are very concerned about the district’s readiness to bring middle- and high-school students back,” she said.

It’s not clear what changed since August that led board members to reconsider a hybrid-style proposal, other than a growing frustration and weariness with remote learning.

“I believe you are hurting our kids by making them stay at home isolated and lonely,” wrote Sharla Brummett, the mother of a North High junior, in a letter to board members.

“We will not hold the school responsible if our child gets Covid and would be willing to sign a release to that effect, if that would get the kids back in school,” wrote Dan and Jennifer Hickerson.

“My daughter is spending 8 hours a day in front of a computer attending class and then 2-4 hours more in front of the computer doing homework every day,” wrote Eric Brummett. “How is that OK?”

Families are frustrated. But Wichita’s positive test rate for the coronavirus is worse now — with more tests being administered — than it was when school started last month. Dozens of COVID-19 clusters and at least one death in Kansas have been tied to schools or school sports.

After starting school in person, the Newton and Hutchinson districts have since moved secondary schools online, citing increased spread of COVID-19 in their communities.

Among students at least, schools don’t appear to be major spreaders of the coronavirus. Teachers, however, are getting sick and being quarantined in greater numbers.

Already at Wichita elementary schools, a shortage of substitute teachers is forcing many teachers to cover for absent colleagues, resulting in larger classes, more stress and greater risk of spreading the virus. That situation will only worsen when we reopen middle and high schools.

Moving forward, district leaders must demand a regular, accurate accounting of COVID-19 cases in schools and should err on the side of caution when deciding whether and when to quarantine. They also should continue to make coronavirus data available to families and the public.

It’s true there’s no easy answer. Kansas Education Commissioner Randy Watson said schools need to rethink remote-only education because what’s happening now is “not sustainable.” Kansas teachers are overworked and quitting.

Reeser, the Wichita board member, punctuated that message in his push to reopen middle and high schools, saying the hybrid plan, while not perfect, is “the best option for us at this time.”

We agree it won’t be easy. Nothing about this public health crisis is. But school leaders must be willing to reconsider this decision — and quickly — if bad gets worse.

This story was originally published October 21, 2020 at 1:29 PM.