By NICK GOSNELL
Hutch Post
HUTCHINSON, Kan. — The decision to change the schedule coming back from the holidays for Hutchinson USD 308 involved a lot of input from the community.
"We did a parent survey," said USD 308 Superintendent Mike Folks. "I think we had between 900 and 1000 responses. We did a staff survey. We also met with our principals numerous times. I did a Zoom with the elementary staff, a select few. Then, our newly established superintendent's COVID advisory committee met last week for a couple of hours and then after that meeting, where we had some really good discussion and we had some information shared from the medical and health professionals, we surveyed that group."
Under the proposal adopted Monday, students in pre-kindergarten through eighth grade will return to class in the hybrid model on Jan. 11 instead of Jan. 4.
"One of the reasons for the delay is you take Christmas and you take the first of the year, potentially there could be transmission and exposure," Folks said. "We're backing off the start of school to help mitigate any kind of spread or clusters when we do come back. That's a major reason why the high school is going full remote two additional weeks."
The medical evidence thus far seems to suggest that older students are much more likely to transmit the virus in a similar manner to adults. Elementary students don't appear to have the same issue.
Hutchinson High School students will return to class remotely on Jan. 11 for two weeks before returning to the hybrid model on Jan. 25. The Hutchinson Career and Technical Education Academy will also return on Jan. 11 in the hybrid mode.
"The last time I looked at our totals, we'd had 162 positive cases in 308," Folks said. "When you figure in our staff and our students, we're probably just over 5000 people total."
Licensed staff, meanwhile, will get Jan. 4 and Jan. 5 off with the remainder of the week spent in workdays and professional development.