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Gov. Kelly encourages Safer Classrooms Workgroup during first meeting


Posted Date: 09/13/2021

Gov. Kelly encourages Safer Classrooms Workgroup during first meeting

Encouraged by Gov. Laura Kelly, state health and education leaders met Monday determined to increase vaccinations and masking to keep schools open but conceded COVID-19 exhaustion is settling in.

Kansas Education Commissioner Dr. Randy Watson told the Safer Classrooms Workgroup that teachers and school administrators are under stress from all the efforts to keep schools operating

“I see it in their eyes and hear it in their voices … like health professionals, they are tired also, and we’re just in early September,” Watson said.

Kelly told the inaugural meeting of her workgroup, composed of health professionals and educators, that the best way to keep schools open is through increased vaccination and masking policies.

She said Kansas must do everything it can to keep schools open and students and school staff safe.

The pandemic in Kansas, like in much of the country, is worsening because of the delta variant attacking mostly those who are not vaccinated. Schools are struggling with quarantining, fights over masking policies, and at least two districts have had to shut down temporarily because of the pandemic.

Since July, daily cases of the virus have increased 10-fold and daily deaths are approximately five times higher, according to information provided by Dr. Marci Nielsen, the governor’s chief advisor on COVID-19 coordination. In addition, Kansas is trailing the national vaccination rate for youth (12-17-years-old) 54.6% to 47.3%

Nielsen showed a chart that indicated 76 school districts have either not responded or indicated no interest in seeking COVID test funding that the state has received from the federal government. That represents districts in which one of five Kansas students are enrolled.

Dr. Jennifer Bacani McKeeney, who is co-chair of the workgroup, said officials want to assist local districts in keeping students in school as long as possible. She is also a member of the Fredonia USD 484 school board and the Wilson County and city of Fredonia health officer. She said the workgroup’s role is to provide the best science, data and research available to help school officials navigate this pandemic.