SPS board considers in-person learning changes

The Springfield Public Schools Board of Education last night considered changes to the district's in-person learning initiative amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

The proposal involves a phased return to in-person learning for five days per week for some students of parents who selected the option at the start the academic year, according to a news release. SPS began its semester in August with a mix of in-person and virtual learning options for students.

Under the proposal, pre-kindergarten through second grade students would return to five days of in-person learning starting Oct. 26, followed by third through eighth graders starting Nov. 9. Due to a higher rate of COVID-19 cases in the high schools, in-person learning would remain unchanged for ninth through 12th graders. Officials say those who started the semester with virtual learning would continue under that option.

The board is slated to make a final decision next week, according to the release.

SPS data show 75% of students are attending school in-person two days per week. Since Aug. 24, the district has recorded less than 200 cases of COVID-19, resulting in more than 1,200 students and staff members being quarantined at various times.

In August, the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Missouri denied a request for a temporary restraining order in the lawsuit filed against SPS' reopening plan, according to past Springfield Business Journal reporting. The suit sought to block the mix of in-person and virtual learning.