BY SYDNEY HOOVER
Eudora Schools will continue with its original plan to return entirely in-person Sept. 8, despite public health officials recommending the district switch to a hybrid model.
Lawrence-Douglas County Public Health announced Thursday it went from the “green phase” to the “yellow phase." Schools are recommended to adopt a hybrid model while the county is in the yellow phase.
Public health said as new coronavirus cases came into the community with college students moving back to the University of Kansas, it deemed the move to yellow phase a necessity.
However, the Eudora School Board voted against a motion Monday evening to move to an A/B hybrid model for the first two weeks of school in a 5-2 vote.
“I’m really torn on this,” said board member Joe Hurla during the meeting. “I assure everyone that however passionate and confident you are about your being correct in this, there is someone who is diametrically opposed to you who is equally passionate and confident.”
Board members Mike Kelso and Becky Plate were the only two members who voted for the motion. They were also the two members who previously voted to adopt a hybrid model to start the school year.
Superintendent Steve Splichal expressed interest in following the county’s recommendations, while also acknowledging the desire to have in-person classes.
“I think I’ve made it abundantly clear that I want my kids in front of my staff and I want to be able to get started,” Splichal said during the meeting. “I think there is the question that comes to my mind that I’ve struggled with is if we have a plan, and we’re not following that plan, what is the value of the plan?”
Splichal said if the county is in yellow, the advice the board accepted is to follow recommendations for the yellow phase and move to a hybrid model. He said he wants to be in the green phase, but at the moment, that’s not what the county is recommending.
The Lawrence School District decided on July 27 to begin the school year with six weeks entirely online.
However, several Eudora board members agreed to continue forward with their original plan since cases began to drop again after a brief spike. They will reevaluate the schooling model again on Sept. 10 at their regularly scheduled board meeting.
Sports and activities will also move forward as initially planned but with limited crowd capacity. The board voted unanimously to give activities directors the authority to limit the number of people in attendance so as to maintain a 10-foot distance between each spectator. Athletes will be limited to games they are on the roster for — this means freshmen will not be permitted to travel with the varsity team.
Masks will also be required at activities, and temperatures will be taken upon entry into the stadium or gymnasium.
“We have people who are not necessarily afraid to be there. In fact, they want to be there, both from a coaches standpoint as well as from the kids,” said board president Eric Votaw. “I think that’s maybe what’s a little bit unique about this compared to our conundrum with what to do with the instructional day.”
Guidance from the health department recommends no high risk sports or activities be played in the yellow phase. High risk sports include football, soccer and competitive cheer and dance, in addition to several winter sports played in Eudora.
The board will meet again Sept. 10 in a regular meeting unless another emergency meeting is called prior to then. Schools will open Thursday at half-capacity, and full-capacity school days will begin Sept. 8.
Splichal and Votaw did not respond to a request from The Eudora Times to answer further questions after the meeting.
Reach reporter Sydney Hoover at eudoratimes@gmail.com.
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