As educators it's heartbreaking not to have our students back in the classrooms this year.”

Fayette schools superintendent Jill Wiseman

With the announcement Thursday from Gov. Missouri Governor Mike Parson that all public and charter schools in the state will remain closed throughout the remainder of the academic year, Fayette is curtailing plans for the end of the spring semester. To deal a further blow to high school seniors, the Missouri State High School Activities Association (MSHAA) followed up with an announcement that all spring sports post-season events would be cancelled.

Fayette school district superintendent Jill Wiseman on Friday spoke with The Fayette Advertiser in light of the new mandate. She called the decision heartbreaking. While the extended closure has been a possibility as the state continues to escalate its response to the COVID-19 pandemic, Wiseman said she wasn’t expecting the order when it came down Thursday. “I thought that might come at some point, but it was difficult to hear that news yesterday,” she said.

“As educators it's heartbreaking not to have our students back in the classrooms this year.”

Although Gov. Parson’s order states that schools remain closed, he insisted that learning must go on. “This recommendation was made to me today by the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education and several school superintendents from across the state,” he said during Thursday's press conference. “Schools should conclude their school year on the date previously set on their academic calendar. It is expected that schools continue remote learning until that date.”

That means that school districts are expected to continue to provide education through a variety of practices. Teachers in Fayette have already provided packets of school work that have been sent home to students. Many teachers are also taking advantage of technology, with apps such as Seesaw and Google Classroom.

Wiseman said she is planning to meet with school administrators next week, and hopes that by then Missouri’s Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) will have guidelines in place. There are many things still undetermined during this unprecedented time, such as grades, and students’ materials and property left at school before the shutdowns.

The school closures have interrupted a great deal of extracurricular activities in areas such as spring sports and fine arts. Fayette band director Alex Kirby wrote in a social media post Thursday evening that he feels “robbed” of opportunities for solo and ensemble performers to compete at the state level. “I feel bad for the seniors who don’t get to participate in all of their ‘lasts’,” he wrote. On April 7, Fayette High School principal Patrick Tray announced that the junior and senior prom, already postponed to May 2, would be cancelled entirely.

On Thursday, Wiseman said the high school’s top priority is graduation, which was originally scheduled for May 15. She explained that Tray has spoken with senior class officers in hopes of nailing down a postponement date for the graduation ceremony. She said the district still expects to host its traditional graduation ceremony and is working to determine just when that may happen.

As far as summer school, Wiseman said the district will likely rely on DESE for guidelines. “There’s just so much uncertainty around that right now,” she said. “We would still like to be able to do what we can this summer.”

Kindergarten screenings still have not been rescheduled as the closures and other measures put in place to fight the spread of the disease continue to be extended. Wiseman said those will remain on hold until restrictions are lifted.

Since school has been closed, Fayette has been handing out lunches to all children within the district between the ages of 1 and 18, five days a week. So far more than 10,000 meals have been handed out. The meal service will continue throughout the end of the academic school year, which is scheduled to last through May 15, according to the district’s online calendar.

Last week pickup times for meals were dropped to just twice a week in an effort to allow less time for possible transmission of the coronavirus. Five lunches and five breakfasts will still be handed out each week, but consolidated to just Tuesdays and Thursdays.

Like all school districts across the nation, Fayette is making constant adjustments during a time that is considered unparalleled in modern times. The Fayette Advertiser will continue to report changes as they occur.