Columbia Public Schools seeing ‘substantial’ coronavirus transmission as five-day week decision looms

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

Columbia Public Schools is reporting a "substantial" level of coronavirus transmission under federal guidelines for reopening schools as the board of education decides whether to send students back to classes five days a week.

The Columbia Board of Education will consider the plan to send students in all grades back to classrooms five days a week when it meets Monday. The board sent middle and high school students back to classrooms in January for the first time since last spring.

However, those students are only in classrooms two days each week. Elementary students are learning in the classroom four days a week.

Columbia is the only public school district in Mid-Missouri that is not sending children to classrooms under a regular schedule. The CDC in early February released guidelines on how to reopen schools safely amid the pandemic.

President Joe Biden said he plans to have most K-12 students back in the classroom in the first 100 days of his administration, which gives schools until April 30 to prepare.

The CDC report shows schools can reopen safely if they follow strict mitigation strategies.

• Handwashing with soap and water for at least 20 seconds.
• Reinforce the consistent and correct use of masks.
• Cleaning and maintaining healthy facilities.
• Contact tracing in combination with isolation and quarantine, in collaboration with the local health department.
• Consider ventilation system upgrades or improvements.

CPS parent Sara Rivera, said she and other parents have no fears about moving to a five-day week.

"We are all feeling like with the vaccinations taking place and what other districts have been able to do, we feel it's very safe for our kids to go back to a five-day model," Rivera said.

Watch the board's discussion and vote on a five-day week in the player below. The meeting begins at 6:30 p.m.

Rivera says her only concern is the possibility of not sticking with a five-day week.

"If we are going to go to five-day we need to stay in five-day for the rest of the year," Rivera said. "It's unfair to students and teachers if we go to five-day for a couple weeks that have to pull it back.

Columbia Public Schools has been monitoring COVID-19 using the 14-day case tracker. The district on Friday reported 13.2 cases per 10,000 people in the district, the lowest rate seen since last summer.

The CDC guidelines show schools should determine how to reopen based on its transmission chart. New indicators place CPS in the second-highest level of transmission with 10 to 49 new cases per 100,000 people within the past seven days.

Teachers have pushed for vaccinations before full reopening of schools. Columbia teachers and staff are a part of the group that will be eligible in Phase 1B Tier 3 under Missouri's vaccination plan.

Biden and many health experts say they don’t believe it’s necessary to vaccinate teachers to reopen schools safely.

"It's about needing to be able to socially distance, smaller classes, more protection, and I think the teachers and the folks who work in the school, the cafeteria workers and others should be on the list of preferred to get a vaccination," Biden said in an interview on CNN.