Thursday, July 23, 2020
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School schedules up in the air State BOE rebuffs order to delay start
Districts get green light to open — but will they?
By VICKIE MOSS The Iola Register
Area school district officials said they’re uncertain when schools will open now that the Kansas Board of Education has ruled that it’s up to each district. On Wednesday, state education leaders failed to support Gov. Laura Kelly’s request that K-12 schools open after Labor Day in order to better prepare for the COVID-19 pandemic that still has Kansas under its thumb. The number of cases in the state now exceed 24,000. Local superintendents said they don’t yet know what that means for their districts. They’ll need to decide not just when to open, but what type of learning plan — in-person classes, online distance learning or
By STEPHAN BISAHA Kansas News Service
KANSAS NEWS SERVICE/CHRIS NEAL
a combination — will be in place. Delaying the start of the school year until September likely doesn’t offer enough benefit compared to the difficulties it would cause, USD 257 - Iola Superintendent Stacey Fager said. “We don’t know if we’ll be in a better situation in September than we would be in the middle of August,” he
Sedgwick County loosens orders to close nightclubs WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — Restaurants won’t have to close early in Kansas’ largest city and bars won’t be shut down as long as a local health officer wanted because of the coronavirus pandemic. Commissioners in Sedgwick County, home to Wichita, voted 4-1 on Wednesday to make an order from County Health Officer and Dr. Garold Minns less restrictive before the directive takes effect Friday, The Wichita Eagle reported. Minns’ initial order shut bars down except for carry-
out and curbside service until Sept. 9. The county commission said the shutdown will last three weeks less, until Aug. 21. The health officer also announced Tuesday that he would order restaurants to close at 10 p.m. and then directed them to close at 12:01 a.m. if they serve alcohol. The county commission removed the restriction on restaurants entirely. Minns also sought to drop the limit on public gatherings See WICHITA | Page A3
said. But adjusting the calendar creates numerous concerns, he said. The district has negotiated a contract with teachers that requires a specific number of instruction hours, in-service hours and days off. Adjusting that contract would be difficult. It also could affect students and teachers who work with community colleges and
technology programs. Students can attend technology programs at the Rural Regional Technology Center in LaHarpe, and the automotive program at Garnett, in cooperation with multiple community colleges. High school students also can receive dual college credit in math, history and English. A delay could put See SCHOOLS | Page A3
Cassidy Friend, with the Logan Pals 4-H Club, warms up her horse, Bell, before the performance events at the 4-H Horse Show Wednesday night at the Allen County Fair. The fair was scaled down this year because of the coronavirus pandemic, and drew just a small crowd of family. REGISTER/VICKIE MOSS
By VICKIE MOSS The Iola Register
Vol. 122, No. 187 Iola, KS 75 Cents
Angela Johnson serves as the new director for the Pregnancy and Family Center, formerly the Pregnancy Resource Center, at 1 S. Jefferson Ave. REGISTER/VICKIE MOSS A pregnant woman who had previous miscarriages visited next. Johnson made sure she
See BOE | Page A2
HOT TO TROT
Pregnancy and Family Center director’s endeavor a labor of love On a recent morning at the Pregnancy and Family Center, formerly the Pregnancy Resource Center, volunteers met with women from all walks of life, facing various circumstances. A young woman who was thirsty and feeling depressed was waiting outside the door. Director Angela Johnson gave her a bottle of water, then helped connect her with a local mental health counselor. A woman who lives in another state stopped by with a 6-week-old baby. The woman also was worried about her mental health. Johnson called a physician to set up an appointment.
WICHITA, Kansas — Kansas’ elementary, middle and high schools can reopen for in-person instruction in August, despite Gov. Laura Kelly’s push to delay the 2020-21 school year until after Labor Day. The Kansas State Board of Education voted 5-5 Wednesday — the tie being enough to reject Kelly’s executive order that would have delayed the start by three weeks. Her order, which affected instruction and all extracurriculars, needed the board’s approval. “The districts have been preparing for this and they are prepared,”
had signed up for the Women Infants Children (WIC) program and was receiving ade-
quate prenatal care. At other times, the center will fill those attending parenting classes that are accepted by the court system. Sometimes parents who just want to learn how to be better parents stop by for help. Also available at the center are clothing and childcare items that parents can purchase with Mommy and Daddy Bucks, which they earn by taking classes, participating in support groups or social service programs, scheduling doctor visits or doing other things that benefit their children. Johnson hopes to eventually offer programs to help with drug and alcohol abuse. In the past year, the Center See PFC | Page A6
Fall sports may be back on schedule
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GOP prepares stimulus bill PAGE A2
COVID takes toll on Kansas town PAGE A3