LINC and its partner school districts returned to class this week, fully in-person, determined to meet the challenges of the Covid Omicron winter ahead.

The counts of Covid-19 cases and quarantines across district dashboards are bound to rise as the Omicron variant’s infections course through their communities, but the vital role of schools is clear:

Covid-19 vaccination and testing information:

• kclinc.org/covid19

The CDC and the American Pediatrics Association, among others, stress that the well-being of children and their ability to thrive will rely heavily on communities being able to keep classrooms open.

Schools are focused on recovering the social and academic ground that was lost during many months of online learning during the 2020-2021 school year. The emotional and mental health of children also relies on schools being able to prevent further isolation.

So schools need everyone’s help.

Districts are returning with safety protocols in place. Vaccinations and follow-up booster shots are encouraged. Masks are either required or encouraged for staff, visitors and students. Sanitizing and cleansing continue with vigor.

Every effort that supports schools’ protocols — and practicing the same safety measures in the community — will help keep children healthy and in school.

Children continue to be at low risk from Covid compared to older populations, but it is also critical to protect teachers and staff who are more vulnerable.

The Kansas City Public Schools, as are other districts with LINC programs, are continuing safety protocols, with 80% of its staff vaccinated and time off being granted as necessary to get booster shots, district spokesperson Elle Moxley said.

“We're committed to keeping students, families and staff safe, and we will communicate widely if we make any changes in the near term,” she said. “We're staying the course with what we know works to slow the spread of Covid in our schools.”

Hickman Mills School District continues to require masks in all buildings regardless of a person’s vaccination status, and the district has been hosting monthly vaccination clinics, spokesperson Marissa Cleaver Wamble said.

“We are monitoring the spike in cases closely,” she said. “We are in regular communication with both the KCMO Health Department and the Jackson County Health Department.”

The social and political climate around Covid has raised its own challenges as districts navigate the need for precautions and the scattered backlash against various mandates and regulations.

In some cases, school districts are adapting their precautions to changes in city or county mandate requirements. Fort Osage schools have made masks optional since December. The North Kansas City district still has mask mandates in place in the city of North Kansas City, but masks are optional in district buildings located in Kansas City, Mo.

Grandview schools are continuing their safety measures from December, including mask requirements.

The Center School District, in its message to its families, also said the safety protocols it set before the holiday break remain in place as school returns.

“Please continue to be safe and be vigilant in following District protocols to protect you, your family, and the community at large,” the district’s message said.

At Genesis School, the threat of the Omicron variant means no let-up in precautions, said Genesis Executive Director Kevin Foster. Masks remain required. Visitors have to be pre-approved and be vaccinated. So far, he said, signs are good, with no rise in Covid cases among students.

“The challenge may be staffing,” Foster said, “if vaccinated adults are in fact susceptible and the community spread is high.”

That’s why the struggle against Covid is a neighborhood-wide task, the education leaders say. Schools and their communities are depending on it.

By Joe Robertson/LINC Writer