Six more school systems across ºüÀêÊÓƵ on Wednesday joined the growing list of area districts that will start the school year with virtual instruction.
The Clayton, Parkway, Pattonville and Webster Groves districts in ºüÀêÊÓƵ County and KIPP and Lift for Life charter schools in ºüÀêÊÓƵ said they will offer online-only classes for the first quarter of the 2020-2021 year.
Parkway’s plan released on July 20 had been to split students into two groups, each of which would attend school two days a week and participate in home study the other three days. In a follow-up survey of Parkway families, 67% wanted their children to attend school in-person. Four out of five Parkway teachers in the staff survey said they wanted to work in the schools.
But in a letter sent Wednesday to parents and staff, Parkway Superintendent Keith Marty cited rising coronavirus rates and new restrictions on building capacities in the decision to pivot to virtual classes for the first quarter, or nine weeks, for all students.
People are also reading…
Schools are exempt from ºüÀêÊÓƵ County Executive Sam Page’s order issued Monday limiting crowd sizes to 50 people and building capacities to 25%, although Page has encouraged families to choose a virtual option when available.
Marty said Wednesday that he still felt compelled by Page’s order and would rather give families and teachers the time to plan for distance learning than have to shut down again after the first day of school. There have been cases of coronavirus reported among student athletes and coaches in the district’s summer sports training programs, forcing 75 students to quarantine, he said.
“I think we have a role to make sure we’re not enhancing the problem,†Marty said.
A group called Parkway Parents for Full-Time School has started an email campaign and plans to rally at the district’s next board meeting Aug. 19. A similar group last week protested Rockwood School District’s plan for alternating two-day classroom schedules.
The Webster Groves School Board voted Wednesday to approve an all-virtual first quarter for kindergarten through 12th grade.
In addition to rising coronavirus rates, Superintendent John Simpson said he was concerned about the ability to adequately staff the buildings if teachers needed to quarantine for two weeks. He said local delays in getting test results are another barrier to opening schools.
Simpson echoed other school leaders when he said the distance learning program would be “much improved†over the crisis situation when schools shut down in March.
Other districts that have moved to an all-virtual start to the 2020-2021 year include Affton, Ferguson-Florissant, Hazelwood, Kirkwood, Maplewood-Richmond Heights and Ritenour. ºüÀêÊÓƵ Public Schools also would start primarily online under a recommendation from Superintendent Kelvin Adams.
The Maplewood-Richmond Heights School Board decided Tuesday to push the start date back a week to Sept. 1 and to suspend its preschool program indefinitely.
The six KIPP charter schools in ºüÀêÊÓƵ will start with virtual learning for all students, executive director Kelly Garrett said Wednesday. The schools had previously announced a plan to offer at least two days in classrooms each week.
At least four districts in the Metro East — Cahokia, East ºüÀêÊÓƵ, Granite City and Waterloo — have announced an all-virtual start to the school year.
Most districts in the region are expected to follow with similar virtual plans. The Hancock Place School Board will meet Monday to vote on a recommendation from Superintendent Kevin Carl to start the year online.
Gov. Mike Parson is meeting with superintendents across the state this week, including a stop Wednesday at Jennings High School, where he said contact tracing and testing would be the most important factors in reopening school buildings. He also said he would not issue any mandates on distance learning or masks in schools.
“I don’t think you can do any statewide mandate and make that fair for every district across the state,†Parson said.