Eudora School District to go remote until after Thanksgiving as COVID-19 cases continue to spike

Eudora Times file photo. Eudora Schools will move into remote learning until after Thanksgiving break due to a recent spike in COVID-19 cases.

BY SYDNEY HOOVER

All Eudora schools will move into remote learning beginning Tuesday, according to a message sent to parents Monday evening.

Due to a spike in coronavirus cases in Eudora, the district made the decision to move out of its modified in-person model and into remote learning, including canceling all sports and activities, the message said. Students will remain in remote learning until after Thanksgiving break, when the district will reevaluate based on current case numbers.

“The purpose of this isolation period is intended to keep students away from one another. If you want to have in-person school, we absolutely need your assistance at home,” Superintendent Steve Splichal said in the message. “We ask for your assistance by refraining from allowing students to gather over the course of the remote learning period.”

Eudora currently has the highest 14-day average positivity rate in Douglas County, at 21.5%. The district has 19 active cases, 13 of which are at the high school. The district reported five new cases Monday prior to announcing the move to remote learning.

The Eudora School Board previously agreed to move the schools into an A/B hybrid learning model beginning this Thursday at their last regular meeting Nov. 12. Splichal said the decision Monday was made out of health and safety concerns for families, and the district continues to follow guidance from Lawrence-Douglas County Public Health.

Splichal went on to say it is up to each family to do their part in mitigating the spread of the coronavirus to get students back in school, especially with the upcoming Thanksgiving holiday.

“It is not our role to tell families how to manage their homes,” Splichal said in the message. “However, we implore you to think of the consequences, not just to those living within your homes, but to those in our community, when choices are made to gather socially, including over the holidays.”

Reach reporter Sydney Hoover at eudoratimes@gmail.com.

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