Kansas City Public Health Director Rex Archer Archives

Kansas City Public Schools remain open. The city’s Public Health Director, Rex Archer, says the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have not recommended mass closures of schools in the wake of COVID-19. During a press conference today in Kansas City, Archer says very few people under 19 get the disease and they are not shedding the virus at a level that is very contagious.

KC Public Health Director on COVID-19: “We really need to get past what I would almost call mass hysteria”

“We really need to get past what I would almost call a mass hysteria of some of these decisions and think through what are the positives and negatives of this,” says Archer. “Each school district can independently make these decisions.”

He says closing schools creates many other consequences.

“Teen pregnancy rates often go up. Violence can go up. Kids aren’t then learning,” says Archer. “We have like 90% of our kids in one school district in this city that are on free and reduced school lunch and are taking backpacks home over the weekend. Folks that don’t have access to childcare – now are they going to take off work to watch their child at home or are we going to end up shifting those kids into overcrowded childcare settings?”

Archer says parents who are concerned can still pull their kids from school without creating hardships for everyone else within the district.

Many school districts in Missouri have already temporarily called off school.