It’s back to full-time, in-person Tri-Cities classes. Schools announce return dates

By the end of the month, Tri-Cities schools will be bustling with students — full-time and in-person — for the first time in more than a year.

While classrooms still may not look like what they did before the COVID pandemic, Kennewick and Pasco school districts have just announced plans for how students will return after spring break.

Richland already shared its plans last month.

Key for the districts was ensuring that they had the space to fit students while still social distancing.

Following Centers of Disease Control and Prevention’s recommendations for classroom learning Gov. Jay Inslee approved new in-person guidelines late last month.

Students now are required to sit at least 3 feet apart instead of the 6 feet that previously was required.

Students who return in person for the last two months of the school year still will be required to wear masks, and will need to remain 6 feet apart at lunch and during activities such as band or while in common areas.

Pasco School District

The Pasco School District laid out a plan on Friday that will bring back elementary students to the classroom full time April 14 — two days later than originally anticipated.

The district worked with the Pasco Association of Educators union to set aside April 12-13 for transition days to prepare for the changes.

Students in kindergarten through fifth-grade will have at-home learning on those days while staff prepare for all students back on April 14.

Middle and high school students won’t return full time until the following week.

Leading up to the April 19 return, students in Cohort A will attend class in person April 12 and Cohort B will be on site April 13. Students then will have at-home assignments on April 15-16.

Kennewick School District

All grades in Kennewick will return to the classroom full time April 21.

The Kennewick School District and the Kennewick Education Association settled on a plan that all students will have hybrid learning the first week after spring break.

From April 12-16 middle and high school students will have expanded full-day hybrid schedules. Elementary students will have a regular full-day hybrid schedule.

The following week, all students will have at-home learning days April 19-20 while staff prepare for a return of all students April 21.

Richland School District

In March, the Richland School Board voted to bring back all students starting April 19.

Students will be doing at-home learning April 14-16 to give staff time to prepare classrooms and lessons.

This story was originally published April 5, 2021 at 1:49 PM.