ANDOVER, Kan. (KSNW) – The Andover Board of Education unanimously approved a proposal to bring all Andover Central Middle School and Andover Middle School students back to in-person learning, five days a week, starting Monday, Oct. 19.
In making the decision, board members and administrators cited several factors, including:
- The low number of COVID cases in the district during the first month of school. This is especially the case at elementary schools, where all students have been attending in person since the beginning of the year.
- The social and emotional needs of students.
- Challenges for some students with the hybrid learning model.
- The fact that some parents of middle school students don’t feel comfortable with their students staying home alone in families where all parents work.
“We appreciate all of the feedback our Board has received about this pivot in learning models,” said Jennifer Seymour, Ed.D., President of the Board of Education. “We know our families have a spectrum of opinions about learning models, so this was a difficult decision for us to make. Our responsibility is to do what we believe is best for the majority of our families, and it’s a responsibility we take seriously. We are hopeful this will be a positive change for our middle school students and their families.”
District leaders will continue to monitor community health data to recommend potential changes in learning models to the Board of Education for all building levels at Andover Public Schools. It includes the possibility of high school students returning to onsite learning, but it also includes the possibility of scaling back onsite learning if conditions warrant.
