The KSD Board of Education voted to approve Superintendent Dr. David Ulrich’s recommendation for the middle school re-entry plan at a specially scheduled meeting Monday, Oct. 12. The plan gives all middle school students the choice to return to in-person learning. Students will attend school from the start of the school day at 8 a.m until 12:30 p.m., when there will be a staggered dismissal where students will return home for lunchtime. After the time allotted for travel and lunch, students will resume learning at home at 1:45 p.m. over Zoom. 

After the vote, Ulrich briefly discussed a return to in-person learning for high school students. He addressed high school parents, saying, “I want to make sure our high school parents know we haven’t forgotten about you.” He cited St. Louis County Executive Dr. Sam Page’s recommendation that high school students could have the option to return to in-person learning. Page made this announcement at a press conference Monday, Oct. 5.

Ulrich said the cabinet met with KHS staff, and they will follow the process of involving all staff in the coming week. Ulrich noted that there is a scheduled meeting with KHS Principal Dr. Michael Havener and his team on Friday afternoon. He said high school parents should expect a questionnaire asking whether parents will choose in-person learning or remain virtual by the end of the week. Ulrich said he let Havener and his team know less than an hour and a half before today’s Board of Education meeting that the goal is to engage with the high school student plan no later than Monday, Nov. 9.

“We want to make sure that the parents of our high school students know that we’ve got you in our thoughts,” Ulrich said. “And you guys are right up there in terms of the priority to get a planned rolled out.” 

According to Ulrich, once the information from high school families is collected on whether or not students plan to return to in-person learning, a plan will be presented to the Board of Education during a work session. Like the process used for the middle school plan, he said the Board will have time to consider the high school plan and will then have a meeting to ask any questions and vote on the recommendation.