Kansas school board rejects governor's executive order delaying start of the school year
S E E D E D C O N T E N T
As school districts across the country grapple with how and when to reopen safely during the coronavirus pandemic, the Kansas State Board of Education rejected Gov. Laura Kelly's executive order delaying the start of the school year despite rising cases of COVID-19 in the state.
In a virtual meeting on Wednesday, the 10-person board effectively blocked the order , which would have barred any public and private school K-12 instruction from Aug. 10 to Sept. 8, in a split vote. School districts can now decide when they want to start the school year for more than half a million students.
Kelly announced the executive order last week before releasing details on Monday. The additional three weeks, she said, would provide schools time to obtain supplies like masks, thermometers and hand sanitizer, as well as review curriculum options on in-person, hybrid and virtual learning that the state's board of education released last week.
A law enacted last month by the Republican-controlled state legislature required the board to approve the Democratic governor's executive order for school reopening.
Following the vote, Kelly said the decision "puts our students, faculty, their families and our economy at risk."
"The cases of COVID-19 in Kansas are at an all-time high and continue to rise. Our decisions must be informed by public health experts not politics," the governor said in a statement.
Kansas currently has 24,104 confirmed cases of COVID-19, according to state data . Since early June, cases have been steadily on the rise in the state. On July 13, Kansas saw a record number of new cases, with 1,447, according to The COVID Tracking Project .
During Wednesday's board meeting, Kelly's chief of staff, Will Lawrence, said the delay would give the state time to "flatten the curve."
In voting for the order, Ann E. Mah said, "I want to be on the right side of history on this one."
Jim Porter pointed out the irony of the members deciding on the "wisdom" of sending students and staff back to school "from the comfort and safety of our own homes," before voting yes on the order.
Those opposed to the delay argued that districts, especially rural ones that don't have outbreaks, should make their own decision on reopening.
"This virus is not the same across the state," Jean Clifford said before voting against the order.
Reacting on social media, some Kansans said they were "horrified" and "disappointed" by the order's rejection, while others argued that this is not a "one-size-fits-all decision" and hoped that districts do "what is best for their students and staff."
Ahead of Wednesday's vote, some school districts had already announced plans to delay the start of the school year. On Tuesday, the school board in Kansas City, Kansas, voted to start school on Sept. 9, with virtual learning for the first nine weeks. The school district is seated in Wyandotte County, which has the second-highest number of COVID-19 cases in the state. Last week, Topeka's school board also approved a plan to reopen remotely on Sept. 9.
Other school districts are still reviewing their plans, including Olathe in hard-hit Johnson County, which has the highest number of cases in the state. Wichita, the largest school district in Kansas, has yet to release its plan, but had said it as looking to have students start in-person in August.
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Can't even allow a 3-week delay to help the schools to get better prepared to open with better protections for all involved......
We’ve been waiting since mid March to be able to get back...
Too bad the remaining "Tea Party:" types wasted all that time not wearing masks and social distancing in order to improve the chances of the kids being able to STAY in school after opening. They think their Covid rates are spiking now.... Wait three weeks!
Kansas is still trying to extricate itself from the damage done by the Tea Party idiots in that state. It will take decades to recover after Brownback's "trickledown" economic experiment failed so badly.
Too bad the kids, teens, college students, and other likely future self centered Democratic voters were too stupid and self centered to wear masks. Not to mention the rabid "protesters" (aka leftist Brown Shirts) that seem to be everywhere these days.
As for political morons the Democrats have broken their quota for several generations.
Well if those in red states are so intellectually superior to democrats, why are we seeing such dismal responses to the virus controlled by red state governors even after seeing the efforts taken to get things under control by the blue states of NY, NJ and CT.?
You line about trying to blame the protests flies in the face of reported data.....
Repeating the trumpist lemming line trying to blame the protester for Covid infections doens't make it true either Ronin.
Why don't you simply look at the data and admit that the truth comes down to Trump loyalists opening too fast and ignoring CDC recommendations for the spread. Is that so hard?
They have had all summer to prepare. Doesn't take 3 weeks to get some extra supplies and move some desks further apart.
I thought that too. With the closing and uncertainty of when they would reopen, why the hell weren't they prepping the building while they could? i know the district my wife works in sanitizes every summer just prior to re-opening. Lack of planning on their part.
Do you honestly think the schools in any of the sunbelt states are really ready to open while protecting the kids and the families they will be going home to?
As a teacher, 3 weeks is not going to change the course of a school year. It can be made up anywhere along the way with shorter vacations. Things to consider is if it is safe for the students AND teachers to go back, is there a plan in place, and is there the PPP for a return. Right now most school systems don't even have it in their budgets for the additional PPP.
Also, 3 weeks will allow time to see what direction the infection rate is going. I know I would want to know this as both a teacher and a mother.
Many school systems go back after Labor Day, so I don't see the big rush to get back into school, other than trying to make this all political.
Not really sure but, the school board was told by two local medical experts from Atrium health, Novant Health and the county health departments for hours to open them up. And they are...............for a two week orientation period and then all remote. Although it will be three groups separately, it's three days for two groups and one group for four. I think if it's going to be that, keep in mind my wife is a teacher, that the teachers should have to teach remote school from their classrooms. JMHO
You mean everyone wear masks & social distancing between students and teachers? Maybe we could just have them carry protest signs?
This was an option because the Republican majority state legislators passed a law giving the Board the right to overrule the Governor.
The Republicans already proved through the " great economic experiment " of a few years ago that they are not really competent at governance - this is just added evidence.
We've gone for almost four years now where the Democrats have shown they are incompetent when it comes to leading, nor are they fit to govern.
Trying to politicize a pandemic is a losing strategy for them.
More evidence is added to this valid assessment every day.
What do you know about Kansas Greg? How about you tell me all about the Sam Brownback's stellar success in "Trickledown Economics".
What's Laura done to fix it? With a booming economy for her first year, there should have been some progress made.
Are you kidding..... Even the republicans in the statehouse agree it's going to take a decade to repair the financial damage done by Sam Brownback.
Please stay on topic. I am not the topic.
Aaaaaannnnnnddddd another one that speaks without caring to know the facts in Kansas.
Translation.... The governor is still fighting Teapers in the government there that are still stuck on their failed libertarian ideas....
By the "we" I assume you are talking about Democrats in Kansas?
It's true they have a Democrat governor now but I imagine her ability to do anything is probably limited by Republicans controlling both the House of Representatives and the Senate by - what kind of margin - 11/40 and 45/125. So as the seed pointed out - she can't do much since the House and Senate can simply pass a veto proof law restricting her power - as was reported in the above seed.
So if there is a problem with political leadership in Kansas - start with the Republicans who probably still think supply side economics would have worked if they had simply continued to destroy the state for another 10 years.
With Republicans holding a super majority - it cannot be established if Democrats can govern.
We can only note that the Republicans cannot.
Thanks Adam...... That is exactly "What's wrong with Kansas." Sounds like a title for a book.
Funny thing..... At yesterday's Trump/Pandemic show, Trump stated that some states are going to need some additional time to open safely...... How ironic.
A big victory for pro choice and a blow to the authoritarian fascists.
Imo all things like this are, are an appeal to say things are normal or heading in that direction.
Real time data be damned.