Transforming Topeka Together Reopening Plan

Dear Topeka Public Schools Staff and Families:

Thank you for your continued support during this unprecedented national health crisis. Our School Board has unanimously approved our Transforming Topeka Together Reopening Plan, which outlines for families and staff how we will begin our new school year. The Kansas State Department of Education approved their Navigating Change Reopening Plan on Wednesday, July 15, 2020.  We thank the many dedicated Topeka Public School District teachers who served on the state and local reopening planning committees.

The KSDE guidance documents outlined the following health guidelines we are adhering to for our reopening plan:

• 6 feet social distancing between all students and staff should occur

• School buses may only transport one student per seat on a bus unless the students are siblings.

• Increased hygiene efforts, which include wearing masks and hand washing is required.

When it is safe for schools to resume, (pending the county health department guidance), due to the social distancing restrictions in classrooms and on buses, along with the increased health concerns, class sizes must be reduced. Therefore, our district will implement a remote learning model and a hybrid model to accommodate the phased-in approach for students. Students who are in specialized alternative programs with small class sizes or who are in preschool will attend school daily as we work to serve our students in need of early childhood and specialized programs.  To be in alignment with the health department and KSDE guidelines, the hybrid model will ensure we serve the greatest number of students we can within the social distancing guidelines. To learn more about our model, you can review our plan below.

We recognize the hardship the social distancing requirements may cause for working families as we meet the Shawnee County and Kansas health guidelines.  Therefore, in addition to our plan, we have established an extended partnership with the Boys & Girls Club of Topeka to further assist families who may need educational programming for expanded remote learning support.  Families who would like to access the Boys & Girls Club on remote learning days should indicate your interest on this link as we finalize plans to further assist families. Please complete the parent interest form indicating your interest in the Boys & Girls Club by Friday, July 24, 2020, to help us in identifying services that may be of assistance to families.  

Thank you for your continued support as we implement our Transforming Topeka Together Reopening Plan.  This plan is a living document and will continue to be updated and revised as information on health conditions is provided. 

For more information about reopening please visit our Parent Resource Page. 

Dr. Tiffany Anderson

Superintendent