Thousands of Pasco students will be back in school before the holidays
Pasco is bringing elementary students back to class before Thanksgiving.
And the school board unanimously signed off on a plan that returns all students to schools before Christmas.
The plan brings back preschoolers through second graders on Nov. 9. The rest of the elementary students will return to classrooms on Nov. 16.
Middle and high school students could start as early as Dec. 3 as long as starting the elementary schools are successful and community health conditions support opening up.
Tuesday night’s decision came after hearing about an hour of letters that were fairly evenly split between parents supporting opening schools because they were concerned about their children’s education, and people concerned about what it would mean for the spread of COVID-19.
Board member Steve Christensen spoke to those worries, saying that they all believe COVID is a real concern, but there are larger health concerns such as student activity and their social and emotional well-being.
“I hope that those people feel like they’ve been heard,” he said.
The plan comes even as Franklin County continues to see an increase in the rate of new cases per 100,000 people over a two-week period. The state reported there were 269 new cases in the period between Oct. 3 and 16.
The state set out a recommendation of waiting until there were 75 cases per 100,000 people over a two-week period before reopening schools. But it’s up to each school district to decide.
Benton Franklin Health District Health Officer Dr. Amy Person continued to support bringing students back as long as they took precautions like having a 6-foot distance between students in class, wearing masks, and hand washing.
“(Schools) are not driving the outbreaks,” Person said. “These fairly simple mitigation measures can be very effective in limiting and reducing transmission.”
The school’s insurance risk pool also signed off on the health district’s recommendation, said Sarah Thornton, assistant superintendent of legal services.
Dr. Person and Superintendent Michelle Whitney acknowledged the increasing number of cases. So while students will return for two days a week, it will only be for half a day, so students can return home to eat lunch. Most of the highest risk classes, will continue to be taught online.
Dr. Person said that might only last long enough to see what the effects of bringing the students back will be on COVID rates.
The schools also will not have any large gatherings.
Unlike other school districts which had contentious debates about opening for in-person classes, Pasco’s school board members agreed quickly on the measure.
However, board President Amy Phillips stressed it’s important people wear their masks and work as a community to combat the virus.
“What I do want is to encourage our community to be careful and to be cautious,” she said.
The Pasco School District has about 19,000 students.
The reaction from parents was mostly positive, though some parents wanted to be rid of restrictions before their students returned.
This story was originally published October 27, 2020 at 10:18 PM.