Columbia and Jefferson City School districts plan on normal classes Monday

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

Both Columbia Public Schools and the Jefferson City School District plan on holding classes as normal Monday.

The decisions come as concerns of the COVID-19 outbreak cancels events across the state and country.

A spokesperson for Columbia Public schools told ABC17 they would have more information for families regarding the district's response on Monday.

CPS has a website dedicated to information about COVID-19, commonly known as coronavirus.

The superintendent of Columbia Public Schools replied to tweet on twitter saying he believes the district should close, and they are working on the best ways to do it.

JC Schools told ABC17 it plans to have a normal school day Monday, and a normal week leading into their planned spring break. A spokesperson said they would notify staff and family of any changes.

The Southern Boone School district will also be in session on Monday. District superintendent Chris Felmlee said every school district's response to the outbreak may look different based on the community's needs.

Felmlee said superintendents across Mid-Missouri have been working together to tackle these decisions.

The president of the Columbia Missouri National Education Association (CMNEA) Kathy Steinhoff sent teachers a list of resources about and reassurance Sunday amid the COVID-19 outbreak.

Steinhoff said she's heard mixed reactions from teachers in Columbia. Some are not worried about having class, but others are fearful of how this could impact students and the community.

"Many are very worried about even going to school tomorrow and however many days if we end up doing the whole week," Steinhoff said. "They are very concerned about the risk that we are taking by going those days."

The union sent the teachers resources about online classes, should CPS decide to move to fully online classes for an extended period.

"It will never be as good as face to face learning without a doubt," Steinhoff said. "The education experience is going to suffer between now and the end of the year, but we're gonna do our best to not make it suffer as much."

She said she has confidence in the superintendent and school officials making the decisions, as many factors have to be considered.

"When you take children out of school during a time when they are normally in school you have child care issues, you have food issues, you have issues with students getting into trouble," Steinhoff said. "You have to weigh all that against the potential health risk"

She said the district is already putting together plans to feed students and provide resources so that everyone can access online learning.

"(CPS officials) are really are bending over backwards to try to think of all the things that families need during this time," Steinhoff said.

This article will be updated. Watch ABC17 News at 9 and 10 for a full report.