Blue Valley families,

Using the current data from the Kansas State Department of Health and Environment (KDHE) and the Kansas State Department of Education Navigating Change gating criteria, the district is in the YELLOW. This means the district will be continuing with the current modes of learning through Friday, Nov. 27.

• Building Gating (Absenteeism) = 2019 Average Daily Attendance 96.25% -->2020 Average Daily Attendance 91.83% for a difference of 4.42% YELLOW
• Community Gating (Percent positive tests / all tests performed) = 5.5% YELLOW
• Community Gating (# new cases / 100K over prior 2 weeks) = 227 RED
• Community Gating (Trend in county incidence rate) = 107, 132 and 95 decreasing GREEN
• Community Gating (Local referring/hospital capacity provided by MARC) = >30% GREEN

Elementary School Updates
Elementary students who registered for in-person learning will remain in full time, in-person learning.

Middle School Updates
Middle school in-person students will remain in a hybrid learning environment. Hybrid learning only applies to middle school families who chose in-person learning at registration. 

• Middle school students will remain in two groups: A (last name starting with letters A-L) or B (last name starting with M-Z).
• Middle school students will continue to follow an alternating AA/BB schedule. 
• Schools will provide building-specific calendars for November.
• Activities, athletics and clubs currently underway will continue with mitigation strategies in place.
• Girls’ basketball will begin in an intramural format with mitigation strategies in place.

High School Updates
High school in-person students will remain in a hybrid learning environment. Hybrid learning only applies to high school families who chose in-person learning at registration. 

• High school students will remain in two groups: A (last name starting with letters A-L) or B (last name starting with M-Z).
• High school students will continue to follow an alternating AA/BB schedule. 
• Schools will provide building-specific calendars for November.
• New! Tuesday, Nov. 3 will be asynchronous for all high students as high schools are being used as a Johnson County Election Office voting site. This means all high school students will be learning from home on Nov. 3, including students in the special education program. Coaches and sponsors will communicate about any changes to practices or events. 
• Activities, athletics and clubs currently underway will continue with mitigation strategies in place.
• Winter activities and athletics will begin on Nov. 16 with mitigation strategies in place.

VirtualED
Students and families who elected the district’s all-virtual option, VirtualED, will continue with the same schedule they have been following.

Providing the best quality educational experiences for our students, while balancing the safety and health of our staff, students and families, is a priority. We all want students back in school full time as soon as it is safe to do so. Here’s how you can help.

• Continue to follow public health guidance.
• Keep your child home if they are not feeling well.
• Ensure your child is engaged in at-home learning days. Attendance is an important aspect of the gating criteria that families can positively impact. At this time, attendance is running more than 4% lower than the same time last year.

The district will continue to watch and evaluate community transmission rates and will make every effort to provide families a two-week advance notice if the learning mode will change. The next review of gating criteria data is scheduled for the week of Nov. 16. 

Thank you to our staff, students and families for partnering together to create a safe learning and working environment for all.

Dr. Tonya Merrigan
Superintendent

Blue Valley families,

Throughout this pandemic, we have said multiple times we want to bring students back to school in-person in some form as soon as we can safely do so. I am pleased to share that based on current transmission rates in our community, that time is now, as we are in the YELLOW. This means that beginning Monday, Oct. 5 all students who registered for in-person learning will attend school in-person at least two days per week.

• Elementary School: With mitigation strategies in place, elementary students will begin full in-person learning five days a week on Oct. 5. 
  
  
• Middle School and High School: With mitigation strategies in place, middle and high school students will begin the hybrid (limiting capacity) model on Oct. 5. It is important that students are experiencing in-person instruction as often as possible. The middle and high school hybrid schedule will alternate in-person and at-home learning days on an AA/BB schedule, and will not include the distance learning day in the current elementary hybrid model. While this alternating pattern means the in-person and at-home days will look different each week, this schedule offers maximum in-person time which we know is a priority for our families. The assignment to an A or B attendance day is dependent on the last name of the oldest child in the family--Group A is last names A-L and Group B is last names M-Z. Principals will be sending more detailed hybrid schedules later this week.

It is important to note that at-home learning days will look different than Distance Learning days as teachers will be teaching in-person fulltime. At-home learning days will include a scheduled “check-in” once per day, asynchronous work equivalent to what would be done in class and could include Zoom sessions with the in-person class. 

• VirtualED: Students who registered for the all-virtual option, VirtualED, are not impacted by these changes in learning mode.

The district will continue to watch and evaluate community transmission rates as called for in the gating criteria and will make every effort to provide families a two-week advance notice if the learning mode will change.

Below are additional updates for families as we prepare to transition learning modes on Monday, Oct. 5.

Activities and Athletics
Our coaches and sponsors have worked hard to implement modifications that provide a safe experience for our students involved in athletics and activities. 

• High school: Activities and athletics currently underway will continue with mitigation strategies in place. Building principals will share more in the coming weeks about clubs and winter activities and athletics.
  • Winter activities and athletics coaches and sponsors are meeting to develop mitigation strategies for the 2020-21 season.
    
    
  • Clubs can meet using health and safety modifications.

Building principals will share more in the coming weeks about clubs and winter activities and athletics.

• Middle school: Activities and athletics are an important part of the total educational experience. While building principals will share more information in the coming weeks, across the district we are planning for:
• Intermural opportunities for middle school football, volleyball, cross country and cheerleading beginning in October. This means competitions can take place with other Blue Valley middle schools. By providing intermural seasons, athletes competing with club teams will still be able to participate.
  
  
• Updates on winter athletics schedules will be shared in the coming weeks.
  
  
• Clubs will begin meeting in October using health and safety modifications.
  
  
• Currently reviewing opportunities for middle school musicals and plays.

Transportation 
Durham School Services is adjusting bus routes, including pick-up and drop-off time to accommodate elementary full in-person five days a week and a hybrid schedule at the middle and high school level. Stay tuned for updated transportation information in the coming weeks.

Food Service
Blue Valley’s Food and Nutrition Services department will continue to offer a drive-thru meal pick-up service for remote learners. This includes Blue Valley students enrolled in Hybrid (limiting capacity) Learning and VirtualED modes of instruction. More information about pick-up dates, times and locations is available on the Drive-Thru Meal Pick-Up web page. 

Technology help
The Blue Valley ITS Department is committed to providing the best technology support possible to Blue Valley families and students. Please see important instructions below, by learning mode, to request technology assistance.

• In-Person Learning Days: Students should seek device support from their teachers or building leaders within their school building.
  
  
• At-Home Learning Days/VirtualED: Families/students can submit a BV Care “Technology Help” form online. The BV Care team will work to schedule remote assistance or an in-person appointment at the district’s designated BV Care support site. BV Care support is available from 8 a.m.-3 p.m. Additional information regarding appointment date, time and location will be shared with you once your online help form is submitted.

Families can expect to receive additional information and updates from building principals as we near the Oct. 5 transition date. Thank you to our staff, students and families for partnering together to create a safe learning and working environment for all. 

Dr. Tonya Merrigan
Superintendent

Elementary families,

In spite of beginning the school year in the midst of a pandemic, we had a great start to the school year at the elementary level. While the start included a few bumps in the road along the way, I couldn’t be more proud of how our elementary staff, students and families have partnered together to make this school year happen.

• Thank you to our staff for preparing for in-person, at-home and distance learning experiences.
• Thank you to our students who have quickly adapted to the changes when learning in-person and who have learned new skills while learning outside of the school.
• Thank you to our families for their support and patience as we all work to provide a great learning experience for students.

While our staff and students continue to practice and implement mitigation strategies to keep everyone safe, I would like to ask for your help. Please reinforce the importance of the proper wearing of mask/face coverings and handwashing at home. We know that being vigilant with these strategies helps keep everyone safe and healthy. 

With mitigation strategies in place, the district is announcing full in-person learning for elementary students beginning Oct. 5, assuming we fall within the KSDE's YELLOW or ORANGE gating level criteria at that time. This means on Monday, Oct. 5 all elementary students who registered for in-person learning should be prepared to attend school in-person five days a week (this decision does not impact those who registered for the all-virtual option, VirtualED). Families will receive additional information as we near the transition date.

It is important to note that the week of Sept. 21 current data will be applied by district administration to determine the appropriate modes of learning under the KSDE gating criteria for Oct. 5-30. Elementary students will be full in-person as long as we are in the YELLOW or ORANGE level, which we anticipate being. As communicated previously, the week of Sept. 21 district administration will also review and determine the appropriate modes of learning for middle and high school.

Thank you to our staff, students and families for partnering together to create a safe learning and working environment for all.

Dr. Tonya Merrigan
Superintendent

Blue Valley middle and high school families,

As a former high school counselor and administrator, the value of our activities and athletics programs is not lost on me. I know these voluntary programs play an important role in the total educational experience for our middle and high school students. I have said many times over the last several months that I want nothing more than for these programs to continue as soon as it was safe to do so.

Last month we shared that we would evaluate voluntary activities and athletics against the Kansas State Department of Education’s (“KSDE”) Navigating Change Gating Criteria in two weeks (more information about how this calculation is made is available online). When applying current data (as of the end of day Sept. 3) to the criteria, the gating level Blue Valley will be in for activities and athletics through Friday, Oct. 2 is YELLOW. 

• All high school athletics and activities practices can resume on Saturday, Sept. 5, with modifications in place. This includes high-risk activities, like football and dance, as defined in Appendix C of the Kansas State Department of Education Navigating Change document.
  
  
• Blue Valley administrators and coaches will work with our local medical professionals to develop significant modifications for high-risk activities and athletics as called for in the Kansas State Department of Education’s Navigating Change guidance around the gating criteria.
  
  
• Competitions may begin for all high school activities and athletics. Any student representing a Kansas State High School Activities Association (KSHSAA) sponsored activity or sport shall meet all eligibility requirements prior to the first scheduled day of competition.
  
  
• Competitions will be restricted to the Kansas City metro area.
  
  
• At this time, middle school activities and athletics are postponed until in-person learning begins. We remain committed to exploring options for these programs to continue including options for alternate seasons.
  
  
• Building administrators and coaches will share additional information about spectators/audience modifications, travel guidelines and live streaming of events.

LEARNING MODES
Our staff has been participating in robust professional learning to prepare for the return of middle and high school students when learning remotely. Teachers are preparing relevant, student-centered and personalized learning experiences that will include synchronous, direct instruction from their teacher in addition to asynchronous classwork.

We want nothing more than to have our students back learning in-person, but know a successful transition between learning modes will require advance notice. As communicated on Aug. 21, middle school and high school students will be in distance learning through at least Friday, Oct. 2. The district is committed to reviewing the criteria every two weeks and giving two-week advance notice when transitioning between learning modes whenever possible.

HOW FAMILIES CAN HELP
To give our students the best opportunity to return to in-person learning or a hybrid model and continue to participate in activities and athletics we need your help. Here are some ways families, and students can help:

• Adhere to evidence-based mitigation strategies including wearing masks/face coverings in public places, practicing good hand-washing hygiene and keeping social distance as much as possible.
  
  
• Encourage students to follow mitigation strategies in social situations.
  
  
• Stay home when sick and avoid contact with individuals who are sick.
  
  
• Do not travel to “hot spots.”
  
  
• Ensure your students are registering their attendance when they are learning from home. The fifth gating criteria, attendance, will begin to be included on Sept. 9. It will be increasingly important for all students to register their attendance regardless of their learning mode. Prior to the first day of school, building administrators will share more about how to register attendance.

As we head into the first week of school, I would remind families that while our community has varied opinions about returning to school and activities and athletics. I would ask that we come together as ONE TEAM to support each other, our school staff and most importantly our students. 

Dr. Tonya Merrigan
Superintendent of Schools

Blue Valley families,

Our guiding principles as we have developed our Back to School plans have been to provide in-person and virtual learning options for families and to keep student and employee health and safety at the forefront of our decision-making process. 

These are not easy decisions as we know that our community has varied opinions and feelings about a return to school. As I’ve said many times in the past few months, there is nothing I want more, nothing our Board of Education wants more and nothing our staff wants more than for students to be back in-person learning every day when it is safe to do so. 

2020-21 School Year Update
As Board of Education President Tom Mitchell shared in yesterday’s email, on Tuesday night the board:

• Voted to rescind the Johnson County gating criteria that was previously adopted during the regularly scheduled board meeting on August 10, 2020.
  
  
• Voted to adopt the Kansas State Department of Education’s Navigating Change Gating Criteria using the most localized data available.
  
  
• Requested that the Superintendent immediately consult with a Gating Committee including teacher, parent and local health official representation to implement the KSDE gating criteria utilizing the five data points and report the gating phase and modes of learning that will be applied on September 9, 2020.

Yesterday, district administration consulted with the Gating Criteria Committee to review the Kansas State Department of Education’s (“KSDE”) Navigating Change Criteria. After the discussion, equal weight was given to each data point as suggested by the Navigating Change document. Applying current data to the criteria, the gating level Blue Valley will be in for the start of school on Sept. 9, 2020, is ORANGE. While the Orange presents in-person or hybrid options, elementary students will begin the school year with the Hybrid (limiting capacity) model. It is our hope that conditions will improve in our community allowing us to transition to full in-person learning soon for elementary students. Middle school and high school students will begin in the Distance Learning model. Students who have elected to attend school through the all-virtual option, VirtualED, are not impacted by the gating criteria.

We will start the Hybrid model for our elementary students with a modified schedule to ensure that both group A and B are able to have an in-person experience the first week of school. We will return to the typical Hybrid schedule beginning, Monday, Sept. 14 (this schedule can be found online). The assignment to an A attendance day or a B attendance day is dependent upon the last name of the oldest child in the family. 

The Hybrid and Distance Learning modes of learning will be in place for the first four weeks of school, through Friday, Oct. 2, 2020. Current data will be applied to the gating criteria by district administration every two weeks to determine the appropriate modes of learning under the KSDE gating criteria for the following four weeks.  

This was not an easy decision and I know it is very disappointing news for the many members of our community who were hoping to have full-time in-person learning resume on Sept. 9. Please know that Blue Valley remains committed to a path that returns our students to full-time in-person instruction as soon as it is safe to do so.

Activities and Athletics
The safe return to activities and athletics are also determined by the KSDE gating criteria. In the ORANGE level, activities and athletics are remote only, meaning all activities and athletics are postponed while schools are in this level. At this time, in-person activities and athletics practices will conclude on Saturday, Aug. 22, 2020. We will evaluate activities and athletics against the gating criteria in two weeks. 

The value that activities and athletics brings to the total educational experience is undeniable, as evidenced by our passionate students and families earlier this week. We know this will be extremely difficult news for our coaches, sponsors, students and families involved in activities and athletics and severely impacts the fall sports season. The Kansas State High School Activities Association (KSHSAA) is well aware of the challenges we are facing across Johnson County and is working with us to provide an alternative season option so our students can play should it not be possible to resume the fall season. Building principals and athletic directors will provide additional updates as we learn more.

Registration Update
With the gating criteria and modes of learning established for the first four weeks of school, Blue Valley will provide, in response to parent requests, an opportunity to change their In-Person or VirtualED registration selection from Monday, Aug. 24 through 4 p.m. on Wednesday, Aug. 26. Families should plan to call their schools to make any changes to registration. During the first five days of school middle and high school students can also request a course change within the format they enrolled. 

I know that you may still have questions about what teaching and learning will look like this year. While building principals will be providing additional details in the coming days, here are some important items we would like to share today:

• As we have mentioned in the past, Distance Learning and VirtualED will be vastly different than the Continuous Learning Plan of last spring. Students will receive more direct instruction, greater accountability with daily interactions with staff, required attendance, assignments, feedback and grades.
  
  
• Orientation when beginning a new level remains important. In-Person kindergarten orientation will occur at each school. Orientation for sixth and ninth grade students will occur virtually. Building principals will provide students and families more information in the coming days as these plans are adjusted. 
  
  
• Schools will communicate with families about plans for distribution of technology devices. Please watch for communication from schools about device distribution as we get closer to the start of the school year.
• Information related to special education and early childhood will be communicated to families early next week.

Thank you for your understanding and input as we navigate what feels like an impossible situation. While we know that these plans will impact families in different ways, I am hoping we can come together in support of one another and, most importantly, in support of our students. 

Dr. Tonya Merrigan
Superintendent of Schools

Blue Valley Families and Patrons,

On Tuesday evening, the Blue Valley Board of Education held a special meeting to discuss the gating criteria and the opening of our schools for the 2020-21 school year. During the meeting, our Board of Education heard a presentation from our Administration Team, as well as two hours of public comments from our patrons, teachers and students.

The administrative presentation included information regarding the District’s ongoing work with Johnson County, an overview of the Johnson County Department of Health and Environment’s gating criteria and an overview of the newly released Kansas State Department of Education’s (“KSDE”) Navigating Change Criteria that was accepted by the Kansas State Board of Education on Aug. 12, 2020. This KSDE gating criteria provides five data points instead of the two data points in Johnson County’s gating criteria.  Included within these five data points are the two data points utilized in Johnson County’s gating criteria.  The KSDE gating criteria was created through consultation and collaboration with the following organizations:

• Kansas Academy of Family Physicians
• Kansas Chapter American Academy of Pediatrics
• KU School of Medicine -- Wichita
• Kansas Department of Health and Environment
• Kansas State Department of Education
• Volunteer school leaders from around the State of Kansas

Following the presentation and public comments, the Blue Valley Board of Education engaged in board discussion which resulted in the following action:

1. The Board of Education voted to rescind the Johnson County gating criteria that was previously adopted during the regularly scheduled board meeting on August 10, 2020. 
   
   

2. The Board of Education voted to adopt the Kansas State Department of Education’s Navigating Change Gating Criteria using the most localized data available.

In addition, the Board requested that the Superintendent immediately form a Gating Committee with teacher, parent and local health official representation to implement the KSDE gating criteria utilizing the five data points.  The Gating Committee must report a gating determination by Friday, August 21, 2020.  Voluntary extra-curricular activities and athletics will continue to practice and condition this week pending the gating determination from the Gating Committee.

The Board will take no further action with regard to the gating criteria and it has no meetings planned at this time until the regularly scheduled board meeting in September. 

What to Expect

The Gating Committee was formed on Wednesday, August 19, 2020 and consists of an epidemiologist, three pediatricians, a representative of the Johnson County Health Department, the Teachers Association and school administration.  The Committee will meet on Thursday.

A gating decision will be announced on Friday, August 21, 2020, which shall include the gating phase and modes of learning that will be applied on September 9, 2020.  These modes of learning will be in place for the first four weeks of school.  The Gating Committee will reassess the gating criteria every two weeks to determine the appropriate modes of learning under the KSDE gating criteria for the following four weeks.

All modes of learning and activities, including athletics, will be determined in accordance with the KSDE gating criteria without exception.  Students who have elected to attend school through the virtual education only option are not impacted by the gating criteria.

We are grateful to our Blue Valley community for their input as we make these very difficult decisions that impact all students, staff and parents.  We understand the significance our decisions have on the entire Blue Valley community, and we take our responsibility to you very seriously. 

Sincerely,

Tom Mitchell
Blue Valley Board of Education President

Blue Valley families,

During the August Board of Education meeting, Blue Valley’s Board of Education reviewed the Johnson County Department of Health and Environment (JCDHE) public health recommendations for K-12 schools to help districts make decisions about the safest learning mode to start the 2020-21 school year. These recommendations are based on currently available information, data and science and expert analysis from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and Children’s Mercy Hospital (CMH). They are intended to mitigate the risk of exposure.

Last night, the Board of Education voted to accept the learning mode recommendations from the JCDHE with a modification that creates a consistent learning mode across all levels, meaning that early childhood and elementary students will follow the same learning mode as middle/high school students.

What does this mean for Blue Valley?

The graphic included in this email describes the learning mode and recommendations for activities and athletics at each gating criteria level using a stoplight of sorts－green, yellow, red and black. Throughout the 2020-21 school year, we will work closely with JCDHE to monitor community and school conditions and make adjustments as needed. We acknowledge that as new evidence emerges, recommendations and gating criteria may change. Blue Valley is committed to providing staff, students and families as much advance notice as possible when moving from one mode of learning to another with an exception for situations requiring immediate action. The district’s goal is to provide two-week advance notice.

What’s next?

Next week JCDHE and district leaders will meet to review the data and the gating criteria, specifically looking at how case counts have trended in August. At this time, final recommendations will be made and the district will share the safest learning mode for our In-Person Learning students to start the year－In-Person Learning, Hybrid (limiting capacity) or Distance Learning. As a reminder, VirtualED students will not be impacted by JCDHE gating criteria.

The district is also working to understand how activities and athletics will be impacted by the gating criteria. Final determinations regarding the National Federation of State High School Associations defined high-risk activities and athletics are currently pending as the district awaits further guidance. This includes wrestling, football, dance, band and choir. We know these opportunities contribute to the overall school experience for our students.

More information about the JCDHE’s recommended learning modes and gating criteria is available on the district’s Back to School website. 

View Blue Valley's Recommended Learning Modes Based on COVID-19 Community Transmission online.