March 16, 2020 6:43 p.m.

We sent the following to families this evening following announcements from Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas and the Cooperating School Districts of Greater Kansas City.

Dear Lee’s Summit R-7 families:

We have taken preventative and responsive actions to proactively address the Novel Coronavirus pandemic, and have prioritized keeping you informed with facts and updates regarding the district’s plan to keep students and staff safe and healthy.

Throughout the weekend, Lee’s Summit R-7 School District leaders continued to communicate closely with the Jackson County Health Department, the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services and education leaders at the local and state level.

While Jackson County has zero confirmed cases of novel coronavirus as of this time, public health officials have made clear that we have reached a point where we must take every precaution to minimize risk to students and staff and our larger local and global community.

In partnership with Jackson County, the Cooperating School Districts of Greater Kansas City and the Office of Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas, Lee’s Summit R-7 Schools will close from Monday, March 23, 2020 through Friday, April 3, 2020, upon which the district will decide whether to reopen or extend the closure.

We did not make this decision lightly, as we know that closing school buildings represents hardships for many of our families. We’re gathering additional guidance from the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education. Specifics regarding how staff and families should access online learning, as well as how we plan to provide food, Internet access options and other services to families who need them will be provided this week.

During this time, all extracurricular activities, athletics, after school events, such as Kindergarten Round Up, and student and staff travel will be cancelled. Since district buildings will be closed, Before and After School Services will also be cancelled.

Our mission at Lee’s Summit R-7 Schools is to prepare all students for success and in the upcoming weeks we will do everything we can to serve students.

These are unprecedented times and it is paramount that we work together, care for ourselves, care for each other and be kind to others. We will continue to proactively communicate both directly and on our dedicated webpage for coronavirus updates: lsr7.org/coronavirus.

In service,
Katy Bergen
Executive Director of Public Relations