8.5% of Hanford High students are now quarantined. Some parents are upset

More than 8 percent of Hanford High students are learning from home this week because they came in close contact with someone at school who has COVID.

Richland school officials said they have 170 students quarantining at home. That’s more than double the 80 students the district confirmed to the Herald as of Friday.

Hanford High School has about 2,000 enrolled students. From April 16-23, seven Hanford students have tested positive for COVID, according to the district’s website.

The increase came soon after Richland and other Tri-City school districts moved from having students sitting 6 feet apart to allowing students to sit 3 feet apart, as allowed under state guidelines.

Deputy Superintendent Mike Hansen told the Richland School Board this week that decrease in spacing has led to more students being in closer contact if someone in the classroom has COVID-19.

The move also made it possible for schools to bring back students to in-person learning for five days a week.

Kennewick does not track how many students are quarantined on a district level. That information is monitored by school nurses. However the district’s website shows 15 people have reported being positive for COVID in the last two days.

That includes three students at Kamiakin High School and students at Desert Hills and Park middle schools.

District-wide, Pasco sent 303 students into quarantine including 115 from the two high schools. And its website shows 21 more students, including five at Chiawana High School, reported testing COVID positive in since Friday.

Quarantine concerns

Parents, a student and school board members complained at Tuesday night’s board meeting of the 14-day waiting period for students to return to class. They wanted an option to return to class if their student tests negative after seven days.

“Can we speed this along? Can we hurry this up?” one father asked.

Superintendent Shelley Redinger said she has been talking with Health Officer Dr. Amy Person with the Benton Franklin Health District about the 14-day requirement.

Since students will be returning to school and sitting 3-feet apart, students will be at an additional risk, Redinger said.

“Three feet introduces an additional risk, so they’re not willing to loosen up on the amount of days,” she said.

The Benton Franklin Health District clarified that the 14-day requirement comes from the state. District spokeswoman Nikki Ostergaard explained if the students were returning to a classroom with 6-foot spacing.

The health district expected the increase in the number of students needing to go into quarantine when the districts moved to having the students sitting closer.

Students looking to take Advanced Placement tests and SATs may be able to come back to take those tests in person with a negative COVID test. They will be sit 6-feet apart and wear masks.

It was a frustration shared by School Board Member Kari Williams, who said she doesn’t understand the need to wait the full 14 days.

Williams, who has been the strongest advocate for returning schools to normal quickly, aimed her criticism at the local health district. She said she felt the school board was being “dictated to from on high.”

“I feel like we as board members are just waiting around for these non-elected officials to make these decisions for us,” she said. “The goal is to do what is best for these kids.”

Williams wanted the board members to be able to pick the best methods that are available rather than having health officials tell the school district what to do.

Redinger responded that Person has advocated bringing students back to classrooms. Benton and Franklin counties have been among the first in the state to return students to the classroom.

She also said the district is one of the few in the state to offer vaccinations to eligible students.

Board President Rick Jansons said he’s not confident enough to pick the best option, and he is willing to trust Person.

“I don’t understand the quarantine at all, which is why I asked the administration to bring me back more information,” he said.

This story was originally published April 28, 2021 at 12:59 PM.