Columbia Public Schools leaders plan for many scenarios for next school year
COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)
Columbia Public Schools leaders are planning for multiple scenarios for opening schools back up, leaning on guidance from the Missouri School Boards' Association while accounting for a phased local COVID-19 recovery blueprint.
The Missouri School Boards' Association last week provided guidelines and resources for school districts to think about as they consider whether to reopen next fall.
Melissa Randol, MSBA executive director, said the guidelines given to Missouri school districts were considerations schools could use for planning as they come back from COVID-19-related closures. Reopening, whenever it happens, for each school district will look different, she said.
“Missouri schools are so different across all parts of the state," Randol said. "In terms of size, buildings, student population and number of students inside buildings. So each plan is going to have to be very unique to meet those unique needs at the buildings of districts.”
Randol said some people are confusing the guidelines as a regulation, law or requirement.
“These are just ideas for things to think about when you're developing your plans or considerations or conversations," Randol said. "It can't look the same from district to district. It can't be used as a one size fits all kind of document. It has to be used as a guide for conversation.”
Columbia Public Schools has yet to announce a formal plan for what school will look like come August.
CPS spokeswoman Michelle Baumstark said CPS is a larger school district that might have additional factors to consider, so its plans may differ from a smaller school district. Those plans will largely be dependent on rules laid out by local health departments to fight COVID-19's spread.
CPS is looking at many different scenarios, but what happens will all depend on where Columbia and Boone County are in the phased reopening plan made by Columbia and Boone County health director Stephanie Browning.
Baumstark said the reopening plan lists steps in regards to the size of mass gatherings and the number of people allowed differs by each phase.
Baumstark said receiving the MSBA guidelines reassured the district it was taking the right precautions but also showed what other conversations needed to be had.
"School district operations are difficult," Baumstark said. "They're complicated, there's a lot of logistics involved, especially when you're dealing with 20,000 students and staff.”
Columbia and Boone County are still in the first phase of the reopening plan.
CPS leaders talk about the next school year every day, Baumstark said. She said CPS is working on contingency plans for each phase, limits on the number of people per mass gathering and what happens when the order is completely lifted.
“We're still in an uncertain period of time," Baumstark said. "And so we have to as district leaders continue to make multiple plans and develop those thoroughly so that when we get to August, we're prepared. It does take time to do that especially when you have so many unknown factors right now.”
CPS is continuing with online classes for credit recovery and credit advancement for the remainder of the summer.
Baumstark said CPS is hopeful it may be able to have a two-week jumpstart to the school year, but that is also dependent on what stage Boone County is in.
