K-12 classrooms to remain closed through end of school year

All public and private K–12 schools will remain closed through the end of the school year to help slow the spread of the COVID-19 epidemic, Gov. Jay Inslee announced Monday.

The state is hopeful that schools can re-open in the fall, but it’s too soon to predict what might happen, said Inslee aide Tara Lee.

Although classrooms will remain closed, instruction will continue through distance learning including online instruction or paper packets, state officials said.

“We know that distance learning can never replace the learning and other benefits that students get from attending school in person, but this unprecedented health emergency demands that we take this step – both for the sake of our children and for our community,” Inslee said.

Although the state has made progress in the battle against COVID-19, “we do not want that curve to suddenly spike up because we acted too quickly to come back,” said Chris Reykdal, state Superintendent of Public Instruction.

The governor’s proclamation prohibits in-person instruction through June 19, but there are exceptions for students with disabilities and English-language learners “for whom distance would present challenges.” Schools will be required to follow social-distancing guidelines.

High school seniors in good standing will get their diplomas this year.

“If there is any opportunity to bring students back for a few days later in the year, including graduation ceremonies for seniors, we are going to continue to explore that option…” the governor said at a media briefing.

Districts will be out of school by the end of June, according to the state. Looking ahead to the 2020-2021 school year, some public schools typically begin classes within the last two weeks of August, but the majority begin in the first two weeks of September.

Reykdal, who joined Inslee for Monday’s announcement, said Washington is among 14 states where schools will be closed for the rest of the school year. He said he expects dozens of other states to follow.

The dangers of returning to the classrooms too soon are clear, he said.

“The second there would be a case of a student or a faculty member, the entire school would be shut down. We would clean up for two to five days. We would have to trace and track as many of those contacts as possible.

“A rush back to school puts significant risk in learning continuity that at this time would not be better than the model we are developing and advancing at a distance,” Reykdal said.

Stressing that keeping school buildings shut down presents challenges for equity in schools as instruction moves online, Inslee said the state is working with internet service providers, software firms, and other businesses to better connect students and educators.

“We have partners in higher education and schools and libraries that are also helping us set up interconnected hotspots in urban and rural areas across the state,” he said.

Of the 1.2 million K-12 students in Washington, about 1.1 million are in public schools and 100,000 in private schools. The state is compiling data on how many of the public school students do not have online access in their homes, Reykdal said.

Telecommunications and online connections are “an essential utility much like water and clean air,” he said.

Tacoma Public Schools recently distributed 2,600 laptops – which were surplus property and refurbished — to students in need, the highest priority being seniors so they can take their Advanced Placement exams.

For those without online access, the district is distributing printed materials. Teachers have been commissioned to contact their students, give them assignments, and offer feedback.

“We know that we’re going on a path where we haven’t been,” said Superintendent Carla Santorno. “We will be in a place where we’re doing remote learning at some time. We’re getting there as soon as we can. We are focused on the learning needs of our students...

“We’re really trying to figure out what do you need if you’re an 11th grader and you’re going to college next year? What do you need if you’re a graduate and you need a certain grade point average? As everybody keeps saying, they are uncharted waters and we’re going to swim through it,” Santorno said.

Larry Delaney, president of the Washington Education Association, thanked Inslee for putting health and safety first. He said “school-from-home is difficult and creates additional challenges” for educators, students and families, but WEA members are up to the task.

“We worry about those who are harder to reach, or who have difficult home lives, or need more help than what can be provided from a distance,” he said.

Monday’s announcement comes three weeks after Inslee ordered the statewide closure of public and private schools through April 24.

When Inslee made the statewide school closure announcement on March 13, Washington had 568 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in 15 counties and 37 deaths.

As of April 4, the state had 7,984 cases in all but two counties – Pacific and Garfield – and 338 deaths, according to the state Department of Health.

Inslee said Monday that the state has made progress in slowing the spread of COVID-19 – referred to as “flattening the curve” — but the number of fatalities continues to increase and Washington has not reached the peak of the pandemic.

“We don’t know where that peak is and between us and that peak are unfortunately the loss of lives of Washingtonians. That is why we need to remain committed to all we’re doing,” he said.

This story was originally published April 6, 2020 at 2:33 PM with the headline "K-12 classrooms to remain closed through end of school year."