UPDATE: The Kansas Board of Education voted to accept these guidelines in a meeting Wednesday morning. These are only recommendations and it will be up to individual districts to decide what is best for them.

Wichita’s Board of Education will be meeting to discuss reopening plans at noon today. That meeting will be streamed live at the following site. WPS-TV Live

The Kansas State Department of Education has released a draft of its plan for reopening schools in the fall with the coronavirus pandemic.  The plan is called “Navigating Change 2020.”   The State Board of Education is expected to vote on the plan Wednesday.

KSDE says local districts with local input will decide how their schools will reopen.  Education Commissioner Randy Watson said there is a wide variety of public opinion on how schools should begin, and there is much anxiety with coronavirus cases on the rise.  He is urging people to stay off social media and instead volunteer to help their school districts with a reopening plan.

Some of the key guidelines include:

— Students above fifth-grade, staff and school visitors should wear masks;

— Everyone should wash hands every hour;

— Social distancing of at least six feet should occur wherever possible;

— Students and employees who exhibit symptoms of COVID-19 should be prohibited from school;

— Meal service periods should be extended to allow for fewer students in the serving area at one time.

KSDE officials said health experts have advised against having children fifth grade and under to wear masks, because the masks would be a distraction.

The plan advises daily temperature readings of students, but it recognizes that larger schools may have problems if there are long lines of students waiting to have readings.

There are also guidelines to follow if a student or staff member tests positive for COVID-19, and it’s recommended that each school have a designated room or space separate from the nurse’s office to isolate students or employees until they can be picked up.

Schools are also directed to contact the local health department for guidance.