By Candice Richardson, The Seattle Medium
Last week, the State of Washington released new guidelines for students to return to school. Despite the surge in COVID-19 infection and hospitalization rates earlier this month after the Thanksgiving holiday, Gov. Jay Inslee says it’s time for at least some schools to bring students back to classrooms.
“Today we are taking a step forward in getting school children back in the classroom,” stated Gov. Inslee in a press release last week. “The science has shown, and our school officials have proven that with diligent focus on health and safety measures, it is possible to bring children back to the classroom while also protecting our students, staff and community from further transmission of COVID-19.”
State Rep. Sharon Tomiko Santos (D-37th Dist.), who sits on the House education committee but was not involved in the recent decision-making process to resume in-person learning, says the reactions she’s getting from families about the announcement have been split.
“I am getting a lot, a lot of emails from parents who are really angry with the governor’s recent announcement, saying, ‘That it’s not soon enough.’ And, ‘why is it that other States and countries are able to bring their students back…sooner than we are?’” says Rep. Santos.
“Then I’m getting tons and tons of emails from people who work in schools or teachers saying, ‘Who’s going to guarantee my safety?’” added Santos.
To address some of the public’s concerns Gov. Inslee along with the Superintendent of Public Instruction Chris Reykdal announced an update in the metrics school districts use in their decision-making process for reopening. The update was formed after recent data demonstrated low COVID-19 transmissions in in-person school settings as long as state health and safety protocols are being efficiently adhered to.
“The changes to our school metrics are based on emerging research and data gathered by state and national health education officials and the early experiences of schools in Washington state and the nation,” said Lacy Fehrenbach, Deputy Secretary of Health for COVID-19 Response. “The changes recognize that with robust health and safety measures in place, transmission in the school setting appears to be limited.”
As a result, the Washington State Department of Health (DOH) has made the following suggestions for re-introducing students back to in-person learning:
• For schools in counties where COVID-19 cases are “low” (less than 50 residents per 100,000), in-person learning should be made available for all students.
• In counties where COVID-19 cases are “moderate” (between 50 and 350 residents per 100,000), in-person learning should be phased in, starting with elementary students not already attending in-person and middle school students, followed by high school students.
• And in counties where COVID-19 cases are “high” (over 350 per 100,000 residents), it’s recommended that schools should only offer in-person instruction for elementary and high-need students in small groups of 15 students or fewer
In addition to the updated metrics, DOH has also put in place increased health and safety measures for in-person learning which are required and enforceable by law per the governor’s state of emergency orders during the pandemic. The measures include practicing physical distancing among students and staff, promoting frequent hand washing or sanitizing, promoting and ensuring mask use among students and staff, increased cleaning and disinfection and improving ventilation, among others. There will also be COVID-19 Coordinators assigned at the district and school level, health screenings upon entry to school buildings, and a more robust testing schedule.
Gov. Inslee, who has also issued a proclamation requiring schools to implement these safety measures, has, along with Supt. Reykdal, set aside $3 million to go towards the costs of enacting these protocols.
“Our state has some of the most stringent health and safety protocols for schools in the nation, and those are working to limit the spread of the virus in our schools,” Reykdal has said.
Seattle Public Schools is one district that was already making plans to bring about 9,000 of its Preschool to 1st grade and Special Education students back to the classroom via Resolution No. 2020/21-4.1 which their board approved on December 17.
“I’m very pleased that our school board today made the decision to move forward on bringing PreK-1st grade students and students enrolled in moderate to intensive special education services pathways back into our classrooms,” said Seattle Public Schools Superintendent Denise Juneau in a release after the State’s announcement on new guidelines. “Our entire staff will be getting a lot of work done over the next couple of months to make sure we are ready to greet students in-person.”
SPS’s plan for in-person learning includes up to five days a week beginning March 1, 2021 for PreK-1st graders with students enrolled in moderate to intensive special education service pathways able to return on or before March 1st. Remote learning will still be available for families who opt out of returning their PreK-1st grade and special education students to a school environment.
Some families are questioning the decision to re-open in the Spring with the summer break right around the corner, rather than the following fall.
Emijah Smith, an education advocate who has kids in Seattle Public School, questions whether or not the return to in-person classes are premature. Smith, whose children are no longer in elementary school, says that she has family members and other families in the community that she cares about, and has concerns about the timeline.
“Reopening will impact families differently,” says Smith. “I would like to know how SPS is prepared to support a safe, quality learning experience for Black students with such a huge transition in so few months, as well as the next school year.”
For their part, SPS has stated that they do plan to conduct a survey of families in early January to further gauge how many will opt to continue with remote learning versus the in-person model they’ve suggested.
“When I think about the question of what to do, I say to people there are no easy answers,” says Rep. Santos. “For every idea that’s put forward there are incredibly good reasons to take that step forward. But there are also incredibly high risks for taking that step. This is an example of why democracy works. We have 140 state legislators and the governor and a superintendent and we know that the public is part of this discussion too. So, we’re trying.”
Smith says she plans to dive deeper into the State’s and SPS’s announcements regarding reopening plans to make sure she has all the information to make a decision.
“As a parent, I want to really be assured, again, that this is in the best interest of my children’s education and the safety,” she says.
