BY SYDNEY HOOVER
Eudora Schools will remain in remote learning for the week after Thanksgiving, a message to parents said Monday.
The decision was made out of concern for students’ and staff’s health and safety, the message said. The district had planned on developing a new hybrid model to begin after Thanksgiving break, but there is still work to do to implement a new learning model.
It’s currently unclear what that new hybrid model would look like. The district previously functioned in an A/B hybrid model and in a “modified in-person” model where all students were in-person except for Wednesdays, which were designated for cleaning and disinfecting buildings.
At a regular School Board meeting Nov. 13, board members approved Superintendent Steve Splichal’s proposal to move Eudora Elementary and Middle School into a hybrid model from Nov. 18 to Nov. 24 ahead of Thanksgiving Break. The high school would remain remote due to a large number of coronavirus cases.
With more cases added over the weekend following the board meeting, though, the district moved all schools into remote learning this past Tuesday.
The special board meeting scheduled for this Tuesday to discuss next steps after Thanksgiving Break was canceled Monday.
“As we’ve said before, in order for us to return to in-person learning for students, we have to work together to prevent the spread of COVID-19,” Splichal said in Monday’s message to parents.
The Eudora School District currently has 24 active coronavirus cases, 13 of which have not been in any district buildings since they were believed to be contagious. Those include nine cases from Eudora Elementary, six from Eudora Middle School, six from Eudora High School and three from West Resource Center.
Eudora’s 14-day moving average of positive coronavirus cases was 18.5% as of Monday, a decrease from last week when the city’s average spiked over 20%. Douglas County average currently sits around 8.6%.
Reach reporter Sydney Hoover at eudoratimes@gmail.com.
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