District Decisions: SMSD gating criteria sparks confusion

Following the return of in-person hybrid learning on Oct. 26, confusion about the gating criteria has risen within the SMSD community as COVID-19 cases increase, according to SMSD Director of Health Services Shelby Rebeck. 

The new Johnson County Health Department gating criteria holds the “red” level of risk — where districts are recommended to be in the remote learning style — at 251 or more positive COVID cases out of 100,000 people. However, Rebeck emphasized that this incidence rate, while incredibly important, is not the only determining factor for what learning mode students will be in.

“All of [the positive case] numbers are trending up, it makes people nervous as we’re approaching that 251 number to move into red or remote, but remember that’s not the only thing [the district looks] at,” Rebeck said. “That’s the key piece of data, but that’s not the only piece of data.”

In mid October, an epidemiologist spoke at a district board meeting, stating the other factors considered besides the incidence rate. 

“She said that it’s really important to look at other things like a school district’s ability to do contract tracing, the hospitalization rates in our area, the trend in new cases, our ability to staff our building,” Rebeck said. “Then also our ability to have everyone in our buildings follow the mitigating measures — wearing a mask, social distancing, washing their hands, all of that sort of thing.”

But with holiday gatherings approaching and as outdoor social distancing becomes more difficult in the colder weather, Rebeck is aware the incidence rates will increase, placing the SMSD community at a higher risk. 

Rebeck assumes that as positive case numbers approach the “red” risk level, the Johnson County Health Department will warn school district superintendents, who would then share the information with parents and eventually announce what date schools would revert back to remote. 

According to Rebeck, SMSD Superintendent Dr. Mike Fulton has stated he would like to give families a two week notice if the learning mode were to switch. The only reason Fulton would not adhere to that timeline is if the Health Department said the danger is serious enough that the school needs to shut down immediately. 

Rebeck recommends that SMSD families continue to check the Johnson County Health Department’s website and SMSD’s COVID-19 dashboard, which will give them a daily update about what the current recommendations are for schools, as well as what SMSD is specifically doing.