by: Samantha Gran
Kirksville high school and middle school students returned l to full in-person learning on March 15, 2021. That is the same day students did not return to school in 2020. And the same day Julius Caesar was assassinated in 44BC.
The school board met on February 23, 2021 with almost a year having passed since the initial quarantine. During the meeting, it was suggested that the district should return to full-time, in-person learning, given the low number of cases and the emergence of the vaccine.
After some consideration following the meeting, the decision was made official: all students would return to school on March 15, the Monday following spring break.
Guidelines regarding Covid-19 have remained the same: masks are required within the school building, social distancing of six feet is enforced whenever possible, and emphasis is placed on disinfecting and general cleanliness.
Despite some initial concern from students and teachers, the school board continues to stand by their decision. I reached out to Mr. Webb, hoping he could provide some context and reassurance. He provided me with this statement:
"The decision to return to in person learning was made after many days of consideration and consultation that included the school principals of each building. The continued low numbers of positive student and staff cases since early February warranted that reconsideration. The availability of the vaccines to all Kirksville staff who wanted it added to the safety considerations for those people most likely to be adversely affected if they did get the virus. Despite the low numbers of positive cases and very few quarantined people, the schools will keep in place the same safety precautions that were in place during Level 2 instruction. The only difference is the 6' distance precaution. But it must be understood that from the very beginning of the pandemic this distance was stated by the CDC as from 3' to 6' where possible and that 6' was the ideal. Staff and students are still expected to abide by the precautions as published and available on the district website."
Mr. Webb also provided a link to the district website which will be included at the bottom of the article.
There have yet to be any cases reported involving students. As of March 24, there were only three recorded cases of Covid-19 in Adair County. It would appear that all is well, at least for now.
While the discussion regarding in-person vs online had largely died down at this point, the decision sparked another wave of controversy. Some people feel as though the decision was too hasty, and that it placed both students and teachers at risk of catching the virus.
For a time, there was even a movement within the student body to organize a walk-out on the Wednesday following March 15. While this ultimately did not happen, there are still those who contest the decision.
In a survey conducted in several of the KHS classrooms, it was discovered that 15 of the 29 students surveyed did not feel safe at school, compared to 9 that did feel safe and 5 who had no opinion either way.
Ever since the quarantine last March, there has been nationwide controversy regarding whether or not school should be conducted in person or online. While there are some who feel that remote learning is detrimental to a student's education there are also those who insist that the health of the students should be prioritized. Taking both opinions into consideration, many schools adopted a hybrid system.
In the summer of 2020, KHS students were given the option of either attending classes in-person or attending online classes. In adherence to the guidelines set by the CDC, the student body was separated into two cohorts, masks mandated, and individual students distanced six-feet from each other when in class.
Link to district site: https://www.kirksville.k12.mo.us/vnews/display.v/ART/603d6ce187038