“A long 10 months.” Richland middle and high school students to return to school

Richland middle and high school students are heading back to school starting later this month.

The board voted. unanimously to start bringing sixth-grade students back to class on Jan. 27 and have all students back in hybrid learning by Feb. 22.

The decision came as the Benton-Franklin Health District reversed course on a pause in bringing students back.

Health Officer Amy Person said as long as schools continue to keep safety measures in place, the schools can safely bring all students back safely.

While the state set the high-disease activity rate at 350 cases per 100,000 people over a two-week period, Person said the state still recommends phasing students back as long as disease trends are flat or decreasing.

Even with higher disease activity, the health district is not seeing a higher transmission rate inside the schools than they are outside the schools.

“Schools are not a dangerous place,” she said. “Students and staff can be in school without a higher risk in infection.”

Case rates in Benton and Franklin counties have slipped from their highs at the end of December. For the two weeks ending on Jan. 5, the health district reported that Benton County had 621 cases per 100,000 people.

The two weeks will give the health district time to monitor COVID transmission rates.

Students will have a much different experience than they did when they left school last March, said Todd Baddley, the assistant superintendent of secondary schools. The plan will bring students back two days a week on alternating days. On Fridays all students will be learning online.

Teachers will have about 10 to 15 students per class.

A small number will be learning at home, while the majority will be in the classroom 6-feet apart. They also will need to fill out a daily checklist, and have their temperature checked during their first class of the day.

Students won’t be allowed to leave the school during the day, and won’t be able to stop at the bathrooms between classes. They also will eat their lunches facing in the same direction spaced 6-feet apart.

Board President Rick Jansons felt comfortable the local and state health officials were agreeing with each other. He also liked the gradual phase-in for returning students.

“I am relying on the health department officials to stop us if the numbers go up,” he said. “The timeline gives us a solid plan going forward.”

Board member Kari Williams proposed moving the timeline forward, but Baddley said the plan was structured to give teachers and administrators time to get ready for teaching part of their class in the room and part online,

Board member Jill Oldson said it’s been a long 10 months, and believes all of the school board members want to get students back in school.

She believes students are going to be safer from COVID at school than they would be in public because it is a more controlled environment.

“It’s been incredibly challenging,” she said.

This story was originally published January 12, 2021 at 9:19 PM.