Washington State school officials release guidance for upcoming school year

OLYMPIA—Washington State education officials released a guide to reopening schools for Fall 2020 on Thursday, June 11. The document lays a framework for schools to begin planning what their return to school in the fall looks like. The guidance was developed in partnership with the state Department of Health (DOH); the Governor’s Office; the Department of Labor and Industries; and a broad stakeholder group of more than 120 educators, practitioners, parents, community-based organizations, legislators, and students.

State School Superintendent Chris Reykdal states “Learning is a social activity, and we want to see our students back in the classroom. Protecting the health and safety of our students and staff is our top priority. If schools can meet the guidelines laid out today by the DOH, they will likely be able to open their doors in the fall for in-person instruction.”

While face-to-face learning is the goal, the guidance includes three concepts for school districts to consider adapting and building from should they be limited in face-to-face learning in the fall:

• Split or rotating schedules with distance learning,

• Phased-in opening with continuous learning,

• Continuous learning 2.0, a more effective remote learning system.

Waitsburg School Superintendent Mark Pickel says “The ultimate goal is to get students back in the building. I’m very hopeful that we will be able to open up our doors in the fall, in some fashion. There are a lot of elements that need to be in place and be approved by OSPI, the Walla Walla County Department of Community Health (DCH) and the School Board before we are able to move forward.”

General guidance in the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) plan prohibits students, staff, parents or vendors on site if they are showing symptoms of COVID-19 or have been in close contact with someone who has confirmed or suspected COVID-19 in the last 14 days.

Schools are to practice physical distancing (six feet) within each group of students as much as possible. Strategies for physical distancing can include canceling large gatherings such as assemblies and field trips, school-wide parent meetings or spirit nights.

Suspending high risk activities such as choir or other activities that require student to remove face coverings; staggering arrival and/or dismissal times and reducing the number of students in the hall were also encouraged. Schools are also tasked with limiting non-essential visitors and reducing congestion in the health office, as well.

Cloth face coverings are to be worn by all students, volunteers, or guests while at school.

Pickel is in the process of ordering face masks, hand sanitizer, disinfecting wipes, face shields and gloves. The district is part of a cooperative buying group with districts across the state in order to purchase those supplies, spearheaded by ESD 112 in Vancouver, WA. This bulk-buying force ‘moves them up the priority list’ for PPE vendors. Three-ply disposable masks are being ordered for use by students.

Pickel notes that the district is tasked with creating three different plans, a primary plan, a back-up plan and a remote-learning plan, to account for possible shifts in virus transmission and infection.

Additionally, guidance from OSPI recommends that each district should:

• Establish plans for rapid transitions between face-to-face and continuous remote learning, which may be required based on health authority decisions.

• Create a flexible school calendar with additional days included to address emergency short term school closures and the need to transition learning environments.

• Build a more effective and sustainable continuous remote learning model that will be ready to be deployed if schools are required to be closed for long periods of time.

A survey has been distributed to students, staff and parents assessing the remote-learning that took place this spring.

To prepare for a period of remote learning, the district is intending to have the staff move to one learning management system, with Google Classroom the likely choice. Staff will have access to professional development opportunities to support distance-learning methods.

Pickel is assessing the current inventory of Chromebook computers with a goal of providing a computer for each student, in the event that remote learning may return at some point.

Ultimately, Pickel must have the district’s plan available for review at the August 20 School Board meeting. The district plan must be approved by the Walla Walla County DCH, OSPI and the Waitsburg School Board.

Updates on the district’s planning will be communicated throughout the summer.