September 18, 2020

The school district published the Hybrid Schedule for the month of October through Wednesday, Oct. 21. Please note, at the request of some parents the hybrid schedule was posted to assist families with planning work and family schedules. Should the school district remain in the hybrid learning environment, this will be the schedule the district follows. This schedule does not impact Optional Remote students. Please direct specific questions to your school.

If the hybrid learning environment extends beyond Oct. 21, an updated schedule will be sure to balance on-site class time for the A/B groups. 

Schedule Key

• A Day = Blue
• B Day = Green
• C Day = Purple (remote day for students)

> Printable Hybrid Calendar through Oct. 21, 2020

September 16, 2020

USD 232 launched its COVID-19 dashboard on Wednesday, Sept. 16. The data represents the number of positive or presumed positive COVID-19 cases in district schools and buildings as officially confirmed by Johnson County Department of Health and Environment that may have posed a risk of exposure at school.

The data is from the start of school on Tuesday, September 8, 2020 and is current as of 4:30 p.m. on Wednesday, September 16, 2020. The dashboard will be updated every Wednesday afternoon.

> Link to the dashboard

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September 15, 2020

USD 232 Families –
The Board of Education held its regularly scheduled meeting on Monday evening, September 14. One of the topics on the agenda focused on the formation of a COVID-19 Advisory Committee to provide recommendations regarding future learning environments for students. 

The Board will schedule a special meeting for Monday, September 28. Meeting time and location to be announced. A detailed report and recommendation will be presented to the Board during the special meeting. The report from the Advisory Committee will be public information.

The Advisory Committee will have 17 individuals to consider the various data sets within the Kansas Schools Gating Criteria. The makeup of the committee will be as follows:

• Five parents/patrons from across the district;
• Five staff members (an elementary teacher, a secondary teacher, one member each of the health services, district mental health and human resources team);
• Three outside experts (a public health professional, a medical professional, and a mental health professional); and
• Four ex officio members (three Board of Education members, Superintendent).

Superintendent Frank Harwood will serve as Advisory Committee chair.

Timeline for possible change in learning environment 
Currently, the school district is operating within the Hybrid Learning Environment for grades K-12. If the Advisory Committee makes a recommendation to change the learning environment and the Board of Education approves the recommendation, then a change could take effect on Wednesday, October 7.  

Based on the Kansas Schools Gating Criteria, it is possible that the Board of Education could consider full in-person learning for elementary students. This is assuming the data within the gating criteria keeps the school district within the yellow category. Any change in learning environment will be for students who are enrolled in the On-Site Learning Model. Families and staff will receive additional information following the meeting on September 28.

We sincerely appreciate your support during this challenging time. More information will be shared later this month.

--end message--

The Board of Education decided to begin the school year in the Hybrid Learning Environment. Schools will use the following schedule for September. It assumes the basic split for students with last names A-K (A Day) and L-Z (B Day). It is likely some students may need to be moved to one group or the other. This information will be communicated by your chid's school. This schedule does not impact Optional Remote students. Please direct specific questions to your school.

Schedule Key

• A Day = Blue
• B Day = Green
• C Day = Purple (remote day for students)

1. The Board specifically omitted school activities from the gating criteria. Activities will continue following guidance from the Kansas State High School Activities Association and any other health regulations or health orders that may be in place.
2. The Board selected the yellow category to begin the 2020-21 school year. Based on the Kansas Schools Gating Criteria yellow category, students in grades K-12 will be in the hybrid learning environment.
3. The Board directed the administration to create a COVID-19 Advisory Committee to meet on a regular basis to assist the Board of Education in determining the most appropriate risk zone within the Kansas Schools Gating Criteria for school decisions.

August 19, 2020

The Board of Education announed Wednesday, Aug. 19, that it will hold a Special Meeting on Monday, Aug. 24, at 6:00 p.m. The purpose of the meeting is to discuss the JOCO Gating Criteria for the Coming Back Together Plan for schools.

To learn more about the meeting location, get livestream information, and how to submit comments to the Board, visit the Board of Education webpage.

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August 18, 2020

USD 232 Families:

The superintendents for the six Johnson County public schools met Tuesday, Aug. 18, with Johnson County public health officials to review the most recent science and data regarding the spread of COVID-19 infections with the county.

Based on this latest data, USD 232 will begin school on Tuesday, Sept. 8, in the remote learning environment. The level of transmission of COVID-19 in the county is high. This decision does not impact the students who have already selected our optional remote learning model.

About the Decision
In order to open schools safely for in-person instruction, the community transmission should be moderate or low. Currently our community transmission continues to increase although the case trends are considered steady with the positivity rate at 11.4 percent. Unfortunately, Johnson County has not met the threshold in the school gating criteria for a safe return to in-person learning, even under a hybrid model.

Consistent with the gating criteria released earlier and based on the number of new infections and the trajectory of the positivity rate, Johnson County is in the Red zone.  

>> Video message from Dr. Frank Harwood, Superintendent of Schools

Timeline
Our decision to begin school remotely will be reassessed after classes begin within the first few weeks. Specific information for your student will be coming from your child’s school in the near future. As we have shared with families previously, we will continue to evaluate our plans as new information becomes available.

The Data
There are many ways to look at and present the data. The Johnson County school gating criteria has been based on two data points: a 14-day moving average of positivity rate and a number of average new cases per day. A third data point was added, which is the rate of new cases per 100,000 residents. 

The county averaged 106 cases per day last week (total of 740 new infections) and 90 cases per day the preceding week (total of 629 new infections).

The 740 new infections from last week represents a rate of 120 new cases per 100,000 residents. The 629 new infections from the previous week represents a rate of 102 new cases per 100,000 residents. All this information is available at the Johnson County COVID-19 Dashboard.

No matter how the data is presented, the level of transmission of COVID-19 in the county is too high for our students and staff to safely return to the in-person or hybrid learning models.

Gating Criteria
The USD 232 Board of Education in August adopted specific gating criteria to help us reduce and manage risks to district families, teachers, staff and the community as a whole during the COVID-19 pandemic. These science-based, data-driven criteria were developed by Johnson County Department of Health and Environment (JCDHE), in collaboration with Children’s Mercy Hospital and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

USD 232 is choosing to be more cautious with its elementary student on-site capacity than the JCDHE gating criteria recommended.  Elementary will be in the same learning environment as the Secondary level. We made this recommendation to more effectively implement all the changes that are required to mitigate the spread of the virus; along with all the unknowns about the impacts COVID-19 in young children and how the virus spreads in schools.

If we want to lower the risk for schools, the time to act is now. We need to work to lower the level of transmission in the community. The community must continue to work hard as a collective whole. Please continue social distancing, avoid large crowds, stay away from house parties and wear masks.

We thank you for your patience during this challenging time.

>> Video message from Dr. Frank Harwood, Superintendent of Schools

USD 232 Administration

>>USD 232 comenzará la escuela el martes, 8 de septiembre, en entorno de aprendizaje remoto(distancia)

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August 6, 2020

USD 232 Families:
We are looking forward to the 2020-21 school year and wish we could be starting under different circumstances. To assist parents in making the best possible choice for their children, we are providing two options for Learning Models.

It is time to make the selection for each student in your family through Skyward Family Access. Please make your selection by the end of the day, Tuesday, August 11.

> Read more.

# # #

July 28, 2020

Welcome to our community! We look forward to greeting you and your children as we prepare for the 2020-21 school year.

We know many of you may have lots of questions about enrollment and registration, as well as what our school year will look like in light of the COVID-19 pandemic. You are important to us and we want to get you connected with our schools.

By this point in the year, we are usually in touch with our new families. Things will start picking up over the next few days!

New Enrollment Dates Announced 
We identified Monday, August 10 and Tuesday, August 11 as our new enrollment dates for the 2020-21 school year. We will share more information with families about enrollment on August 4.

First Day of School, Sept. 8
The first day of school will now be Tuesday, September 8. We are working on a revised school year calendar to be considered by our Board of Education. We hope to share a new calendar with families on August 4. 

Current Learning Plan
We are calling our learning plan Coming Back Together. You can view a summary and the full document on our webpage. > https://www.usd232.org/Page/8382

Family/School Communication 
Our school team members are looking forward to connecting with you. They will be back in the office the week of August 3. 

School Directory > https://www.usd232.org/Domain/2604

Not sure which school your child will attend? 
Our school attendance areas are based on your home address. If you are not sure which school serves your location, use our free School Locator App. Type in any address in Johnson County, KS and it will show you the schools serving that specific location. https://www.usd232.org/schoollocator 

Keep Up with District News 
As circumstances surrounding the pandemic continue to evolve, we want to keep you informed about potential impacts on school. We created a special webpage where we are posting timely information to keep you advised. > www.usd232.org/covid19

We will always keep our webpage updated, as well as our official USD 232 Twitter page @usd_232. 

Once you and your family are enrolled in school, you’ll automatically begin receiving official email communication from your school and the school district through Skyward Family Access.

If you want to receive school district email temporarily until you have an account with Skyward Family Access, just let us know. Contact us at information@usd232.org.

July 27, 2020

USD 232 Families:

The Board of Education took action during a special meeting on Monday, July 27, to delay the start of the 2020-21 school year until Tuesday, September 8, 2020.

It is important to emphasize the Board only decided the date for the first day of school. District administration is developing options for a revised school year calendar to be considered by the Board at its next regularly scheduled meeting on August 3. Additionally, the Board did not make a decision on July 27 regarding the type of learning environment (on-site, hybrid, or remote) with which to begin the new academic year. Discussion on that topic will continue at the meeting on August 3.

Background
The Board of Education and administration heard from many parents and staff members over the last several days regarding the start of the school year expressing support for a delayed start, as well as support for keeping the current calendar in place. Parents and staff also expressed thoughts and concerns regarding the on-site, hybrid, and remote learning environments.

On Monday, July 20, Kansas Governor Laura Kelly announced an executive order (No. 20-58) that would have delayed the school year for all districts in the state. On Wednesday, July 22, the Kansas State Board of Education did not affirm the Governor’s order delaying the school year, leaving the decision to local Boards of Education. However, a separate executive order from the Governor (No. 20-59), issued on July 20, places new requirements on all schools regarding masks or other face coverings, social distancing, hand sanitizer, and temperature checks.

Delaying the first day of school allows state and county health experts additional time to update data surrounding the community spread of COVID-19. Should the county begin seeing a decrease in cases over the next few weeks, the extra time could maximize any possibility of having on-site instruction. The later start date will also provide schools and teachers time for professional development training to prepare for three learning environments and the additional requirements mandated by the Governor’s executive order.

Considering the feedback from the school community, information from state and county health experts, and in light of the additional planning required, the Board approved the district’s recommendation to delay the start of school until September 8.

New Enrollment Dates Announced
Although a revised school year calendar is still being developed, the district is announcing August 10 and 11 as enrollment dates for the new academic year. District administration will present revised calendar options to the Board of Education for its consideration at its regularly scheduled meeting on August 3. An approved calendar and additional enrollment information will be shared with families and staff on Tuesday, August 4.

Extension of Summer Curbside Meals Program
Because the first day of school is now delayed, the summer curbside meal program has been extended. Meals will continue to be available on Mondays and Wednesdays through August 26, 2020.

On Mondays, children will receive four (4) meals: 

• two (2) breakfasts and 
• two (2) lunches 

On Wednesdays, children will receive six (6) meals: 

• three (3) breakfasts and 
• three (3) lunches

Meal pick-up locations and times are listed below.

• De Soto High School –11:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. (main drive-thru location)
• Clearview City, De Soto – 10:30 a.m. – 10:45 a.m.
• Prospector’s Point, De Soto –11:00 a.m. – 11:15 a.m.  
• Woodland Townhomes, Shawnee– 11:45 a.m. – 12:00 m. (walk up only; no drive-thru service)

De Soto High School will serve as the main meal distribution location with drive-through service. A limited number of meals will be available at each of the mobile sites. The meals will be available for free to children ages 1 to 18, regardless of what school they attend. No paperwork is required. 

July 23, 2020

USD 232 Families:

The Board of Education scheduled a special meeting for Monday, July 27, at 6:00 p.m., for the purpose of discussing a revised date for the start of 2020-21 school year. The public meeting will be held via video conference and will be livestreamed through the district’s YouTube channel.
> https://bit.ly/usd232youtube

Although public comments will not heard during the live video meeting, patrons may submit comments to the Board of Education using a simple electronic form on its webpage. Comments need to be submitted by noon on Monday, July 27.

Background 
Kansas Governor Laura Kelly announced an executive order (No. 20-58) delaying the start of the 2020-21 school year until after the Labor Day holiday for all public schools. Under a new Kansas law, the State Board of Education is required to affirm the governor’s decision to delay or close schools. On Wednesday, July 22, the Kansas State Board of Education did not affirm the executive order, pushing any decisions regarding the start of school to the local level.

-end message-

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July 22, 2020

USD 232 Parents and Guardians:

We are writing to ask for your help as we finalize our plans for the 2020-21 school year. Please consider participating in a short parent survey regarding the three types of learning environments that may be used during the academic year in response to the pandemic.

The Ask: Optional Remote Learning (Parent Choice)
One of the questions we will ask parents in the survey is to determine your interest in our Optional Remote Learning model. This would be in place of on-site instruction. If you are interested in this option for your student, please let us know. Expressing your interest in this option does not commit you to enroll at this time. The information will help us gauge how many families for which we would need to plan instruction and staffing. Once we have this basic information, we will come back to families with full details about optional remote learning and will ask for a final commitment.

Other Information
The brief survey will also collect other information about our three learning environments, child care, meals, and internet connectivity in the home.

Timeline
Please complete the survey by noon, Monday, July 27. Once we evaluate the feedback, we will come back to families with more information.

How to Complete the Parent Survey
We will utilize Skyward Family Access for the parent survey. Parents will need their Skyward user name and password to access the survey, which must be completed from a computer.  To help us receive accurate data, parents who normally complete enrollment for their student(s) (Family 1) will have the ability to complete this survey. See the attached PDF with instructions on how to access the survey. If you have trouble logging in to Skyward Family Access, please let us know by sending an email message to information@usd232.org.

Thank you in advance for participating in the survey. One of things we have learned over the last few weeks is that it will take all of us working together to meet the challenges ahead. We appreciate your support, your grace, and flexibility.

July 21, 2020 

USD 232 Parents & Guardians: 

We are sharing with you our current plans as we prepare to welcome students and staff for the 2020-21 school year. As much as we would like to start school with some level of normalcy, we are preparing for a number of possibilities.  

> Read more about our plan for Coming Back Together.

We want to thank you for your patience, continual support and feedback as we work through many challenges. 

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July 15, 2020

USD 232 Families,

On Wednesday afternoon, July 15, 2020, Kansas Governor Laura Kelly announced her intention to issue a new executive order delaying the start of the 2020-21 school year until after the Labor Day holiday. Governor Kelly said her order is in response to the growing cases of COVID-19 throughout the state “where cases are at an all-time high and continuing to rapidly rise.”

We do not yet know how this change will impact the school year calendar in terms of student contact time. To that end, the administration, working with the Board of Education, will need further guidance from the Kansas State Department of Education.

The Governor’s new order will also impact our current draft plans for returning to school when the new academic year officially begins. The Kansas State Board of Education approved guidelines today, Wednesday, July 15, for the reopening schools.

We intended to share our plans with families on Thursday, July 16.

In light of the new order by the Governor, we will delay the release of our plans to families, as we need adequate time to ascertain what changes will be required to our plans.

As we have shared with you before, once we have an understanding of how we think things will proceed, something occurs that forces us to adapt and change. This is an example of the uncertainty surrounding the pandemic.

More information to come. At the very least, we will provide an update to our school district families next week.

Sincerely,

Frank Harwood
Superintendent of Schools

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In the event of an outbreak in our community, the district would follow direction from public health officials on any quarantines, closures or other health measures as necessary. Our goal is to help keep all students and staff safe and to minimize any impact on learning in our schools. We are working directly with Johnson County Department of Health and Environment and Kansas Department of Health and Environment. USD 232 is prepared with action plans should the virus impact our area.

The district is cooperating with public health officials around this issue to ensure that current practices are appropriate.

We are following the recommendations from the CDC regarding prevention actions:

• Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds. If soap and water are not available, use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer.
• Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth with unwashed hands.
• Avoid close contact with people who are sick.
• Stay home when you are sick (for the full recommended recovery time)
• Cover your cough or sneeze with a tissue, then throw the tissue in the trash.
• Clean and disinfect frequently touched objects and surfaces.
• Keep sick children at home until they are fever free for a full 24 hours without the aid of ibuprofen or acetaminophen.
• We continuously promote frequent hand-washing, cough and sneeze etiquette, etc.
• We perform daily cleaning at all schools. We target specific areas of the school for deeper cleaning and disinfecting based on reported illnesses and absenteeism.
• We pay special attention to desks, countertops, doorknobs, water fountains, etc., on a regular basis.
• We utilize professional antimicrobial cleaning products that are registered for use against COVID-19.

Information about Influenza

• If a student tests positive for influenza, they must stay home for five days from the onset of symptoms as well as be fever free for a full 24 hours without the use of ibuprofen and acetaminophen.  If a student has been prescribed a therapeutic dose of Tamiflu, they need to stay home for five days from the onset of symptoms as well as be fever free for a full 24 hours without the use of ibuprofen and acetaminophen.  The best way to stop the spread of the flu is stay home when sick.

The support and assistance of our school community when working to contain communicable diseases is vital.  Teaching the foundations of healthy habits in the home, self-reporting illness, and keeping sick individuals home are important elements in the success of containing communicable diseases within a community.   The diligence of our family partners in this effort is greatly appreciated. 

We are working closely with Johnson County Department of Health and Environment to adapt plans and responses as necessary.

For Parents
> Parent Guide to Helping Families Cope with COVID-19
from National Child Traumatic Stress Network

For Children
> Talking to Kids About Coronavirus
From Child Mind Institute

> Hand washing resources for children 
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

More info:
We want to empower students that they can help stay healthy by practicing good hygiene.

What you (student) can do:

• Practice good hand washing
• Cough/sneeze away from others and into your elbow
• Tell a parent and/or teacher if you don’t feel well

What others are doing:

• Doctors are working hard to find ways to help (like the flu shot)
• Custodians are cleaning our schools
• Teachers and parents are helping us learn good hygiene habits

Adults should remain calm; model good hygiene and assure students that this is temporary.  Tell students that good hygiene should always be practiced, especially during the cold/flu season.