A school district in Kansas is shutting down for the rest of the week.

It's not clear when the Shawnee Mission School District could discuss a possible vaccine mandate for teachers and staff.

“I think our client finds it very difficult to concentrate while taking test and I think there is concern that it is hurting our client academically,” said an attorney representing two clients that are remaining anonymous.

Thousands of Missouri children have been diagnosed with COVID-19 since the new school year began, and at least one rural school closed for cleaning after an outbreak.

One of the biggest concerns is the soaring number of COVID-19 cases in children. Schools are looking for ways to keep their students safe.

Congress authorized more than $190 billion to help America's schools reopen and stay open during the pandemic -- and while a lot of the funds were used to buy PPE, upgrade ventilation and boost summer school programs, there are still billions of dollars left to be spent.

Children are making up an increasing number of patients filling Missouri hospitals during the summer COVID-19 surge, and some doctors worry that the return to school will lead to more illnesses.

The University of Missouri Board of Curators met today, deciding that vaccines will not be required for students, faculty, or staff. 

Kansas will soon release more information on school COVID-19 outbreaks and youth vaccination rates as many districts begin the year without masks, Gov. Laura Kelly announced Wednesday.

What finally did it for Nathan, the parent of a young child at a small Catholic school in California, was the seating chart that showed how a teacher infected at least 12 of 24 students in her class with the coronavirus.