By Chance Chamberlain
The Harrisonville Board of Education met Dec. 2 to make changes to the 2020-2021 school calendar due to concerns about COVID-19 during winter break.
The district staff proposed an extension to winter break to include Dec. 21, 22 and 23, creating an additional 21⁄2 days of
time off.
The board approved the request which means the final day of school before the holiday will be Friday, Dec.18.
Superintendent Paul Mensching said, “We requested this change for a variety of reasons.
“We know the first semester has been hard on everyone including families, students and staff. We wanted to ensure a full two weeks for everyone to rest, rejuvenate and enjoy the season.
“We truly appreciate the efforts of the Wildcat family in doing all we can to ensure our students’ success during this difficult season,” he added.
The district also pushed for the changes to the schedule to limit the need of quarantining for all students and staff, according to Mensching.
“We hope that by extending the days out of school by five, weekends included, our students and staff can remain healthy and safe for the holidays,” Mensching said.
This change will not impact make-up days because the district will have more than the minimum hours required by the state.
Students are expected to return to class on Tuesday, Jan. 5, while teachers return for a professional development day on Monday, Jan.4.
Mensching added, “I encourage everyone to continue following our health and safety guidelines both in and out of school.”
