Update, 4:10 pm. Kansas City Public Schools have now announced they will in fact be closed tomorrow. The administration had previously announced schools would be open.
Almost all metro schools will be closed Tuesday because of the Royals victory parade starting at noon.
The districts say they were more worried about absent teachers rather than absent students.
For many school districts, and many private schools, the lack of staff was one of the main reasons they are closing.
A huge number of faculty and staff called out Monday, according to Kansas City Kansas School District Chief of Staff David Smith. “We couldn’t see a way that we would be confident we would have enough staff available to keep kids safe while they were with us.”
Adding to the problem was the lack of substitute teachers. Many also wanted to attend the Royals victory celebration.
North Kansas City Schools tweeted early Monday that it would be open but by late afternoon joined the crowd and canceled classed.
Many suburban districts like Olathe, Shawnee Mission and Blue Springs made an early decision to close Tuesday.
"It is clear that the excitement surrounding our World Series Champions and their celebration in the middle of the day will disrupt school and the quality of learning," Blue Springs Schools said in a statement.
Independence schools are closed, but the district says accommodations will be made for parents with children in K-8 who want to send their kids to school.
Hyman Brand Hebrew Academy in Overland Park is embracing the parade. The K-12 school is bussing students in fourth-grade above to the parade.
Metropolitan Community College says its five campuses will be closed Tuesday. Kansas City Kansas Community College has also canceled classes as has Johnson County Community College.
UMKC says department supervisors may allow staff to take paid time off. Deans will work with department chairs and faculty to make decisions regarding cancellations and make-up assignments or exams.
Classes at Park University are also canceled.
Here is a partial list of other school districts closed Tuesday in Missouri:
- Center Schools
- Fort Osage Schools
- Grandview Schools
- Kansas City Public Schools
- Kearney Schools
- Liberty Schools
- Oak Grove Schools
- Park Hill Schools
- Raymore-Peculiar Schools
Here is a partial list of other school districts closed Tuesday in Kansas:
- Basehor-Linwood Schools
- Bonner Springs Schools
- De Soto Schools
- Gardner Edgerton Schools
- Leavenworth Schools
- Piper Schools
- Spring Hill Schools
Here is a partial list of charter and private schools closed Tuesday:
- Academie Lafayette
- Barstow
- Notre Dame de Sion
- Rockhurst High School
- St. Paul's Episcopal Day School
Sam Zeff covers education for KCUR. He's also co-host of KCUR's political podcast Statehouse Blend. Follow him on Twitter @samzeff.
