Kansas education commissioner Randy Watson has issued a statement strongly recommending that schools suspend operations this week, the week of March 16-20.
Schools that have spring break scheduled this week will proceed as planned. The Wichita school district is having spring break this week, so there will be no immediate impact on the district. Hutchinson schools will be closed this week, and spring break will be held as planned for the week of March 23rd.
The steps are being recommended as a precaution against the coronavirus. There are no confirmed cases of the virus in any Kansas schools, and the state education department has issued guidelines for schools to follow regarding the virus.
The commissioner issued a statement on Twitter:
As of Sunday, March 15, Kansas Education Commissioner Dr. Randy Watson strongly recommends that those schools currently coming off of spring break, suspend operations for the week March 16-20. All schools scheduled for spring break the week of March 16-20 will continue as planned. For schools who have spring break later in time, Commissioner Watson is strongly recommending they also close schools for the period of March 16-20. Closing all schools during this same period of time provides Kansas officials the time needed to finalize a comprehensive plan for how to address COVID-19. It is critical that we all follow a coordinated response to this situation.
