As Parents Share Concerns, State Releases Missouri School Reopening Guidelines

As school reopening season approaches, more and more parents are expressing concerns about safety, particularly due to the recent spike in COVID-19 cases.

In our region, St. Charles County has seen the most significant spike, currently reporting a total of 1,748 positive cases with 80 deaths, three of them this week, and all over 80 years old. A mandatory mask order in St. Louis County and city makes parents concerned about whether their children will be able to follow safety measures in school.

Though there are no statewide health mandates related to K-12 school
reopenings being issued at this time, the Missouri Department of Health & Senior Services and the Department of Elementary & Secondary Education have released guidelines with proactive strategies that Missouri’s K-12 schools can implement to protect their students, staff and community members. The guidelines includes minimum protocols regarding daily screening for symptoms, physical distancing and masks, and stresses that local schools and local jurisdictions have the authority to implement more stringent or less restrictive preventative measures.