Waitsburg school holds informative hearing on COVID-19 concerns

WAITSBURG—Waitsburg School District held a virtual public hearing on June 30 to discuss the upcoming school year. No more than four families attended the informative hearing to discuss concerns regarding classroom structure, face shields and masks, and other education concerns arising with the longevity of the coronavirus pandemic.

Superintendent Mark Pickel started the meeting off by expressing that the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) has been revising in-classroom teaching guidelines almost daily, The district values the parent’s input and would like to work with OSPI and the families to create a safe, healthy learning environment for the students.

Families in attendance expressed great concern about requiring students, especially grade school age, to wear a face mask or shield for the entirety of the school day. Disciplinary actions were among the top concerns from the parents and caregivers.

“How do you regulate face coverings with five-year-olds?” one parent asked.

Parents of children with sensory disorders expressed concern that the masks will be a distraction or will inhibit the ability to focus on schoolwork and learn. Superintendent Pickel agreed that it was a delicate subject and finding the right way to enforce the coverings was going to take creativity, and that the district is looking into bucket-hat style face shields for the younger students in hopes that they would be less distracting.

Another concern was accessibility of bus services. Superintendent Pickel said that an OSPI work group determined that social distancing is not necessary on school buses because the rides are so short. They will require face coverings for all students and staff riding. School buses are not able to be modified with sneeze guards or plexiglass separators for safety reasons, according to the OSPI and Washington State Patrol.

In order to comply with social distancing orders, Superintendent Pickel said the district is exploring a split classroom schedule, as well as incorporating distance learning. The district is considering a schedule with two days of in-class and three days of distance. The district is planning on providing secondary students with Chromebook laptops for online learning.

“We are hoping to utilize tools like Google Classrooms this year,” Pickel said. “This spring provided us a chance to get familiar with the program and how it works, and teachers have been working on ways to make distance learning work smoothly.”

Superintendent Pickel said they are also exploring schedule options to accommodate at least one day of deep cleaning and disinfecting.

Another concern was about the protocol for sending kids home from school if they are ill.

“If my kid is sent home with a fever, are they going to immediately be placed on COVID watch?” one parent asked.

Superintendent Pickel said that the short answer is yes, but the district is exploring options to implement screening that will help shorten entry time each morning, as well as help determine how to handle kids who get ill during the day.

“There are going to be details that we don’t know until the first day,” Superintendent Pickel said, explaining that there are so many unknowns with the pandemic as a whole.

All of the OSPI recommendations that Superintendent Pickel based the conversation on during the hearing were current, but he did acknowledge that the recommendations are likely to change.

The district held a second virtual informational hearing for July 8.