Sept. 14 Board Meeting Recap

The SMSD Board of Education (BOE) met on Sept. 14 to discuss updates on opening schools and the Kansas Educations Systems Accreditation (KESA) review. 

There was also a recap of how technology is working for remote schooling. The district has invested in 500 Kajeet Spartspots — portable wifi hotspots for students in need — which terminates VPN connectivity issues.

Although SMSD is not cleared for hybrid at a high school level, they are cleared to send elementary students back to school Oct. 5.

Elementary parents were to rechoose a preferred learning model for their children on Sept. 14 that will apply to their kid for the rest of the year — remote or in person. As the transition continues, students will be placed into sessions with their teachers, whether it be remote or in-person Sept. 15-25. PreK-2nd grade will return to school on Oct. 5 for hybrid, with 3rd-6th joining them on Oct. 6.

Transitions will begin for all in-person schooling at the elementary level on Oct. 19. 

The district will still be following recommendations made by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Kansas Department of Health and Environment and the Johnson County Department of Health and Environment when considering further decisions.