WA Superintendent expects school to resume in-person in fall

Washington state’s Superintendent of Public Instruction Chris Reykdal released the state’s plan for reopening schools this fall, stating that he expects classes to resume in person for students.

Superintendent Reykdal assures parents we’re in this as a nation

“We will do this together, keeping students and staff safety and well-being as our highest priority in the reopening,” he said in the introduction to the 47-page document laying out the new rules and guidelines for schools.

This comes as something of a reversal based on previous statement from Reykdal, where he intimated that closures could continue into fall 2020.

While schools will be allowed to resume in-person classes regardless of the phase their respective county is in, guidelines still give school districts room to make their own decisions.

Ursula’s message to the class of 2020: Be open to all new experiences

Those guidelines do also come with a handful of requirements, though, including:

• Health screenings for staff and students before entering schools every day
• Putting elementary school students “in groups with dedicated staff,” to “maintain consistent from day to day among groups where possible”
• Practicing six feet of physical distancing “as much as possible”
• Limiting gatherings and mixing of classes in the cafeteria with staggered meal times
• Wearing cloth face coverings at all times, both for students and staff

Schools also have the option of conducting a mix of virtual and in-person learning as needed, especially for students at higher risk for complications related to COVID-19.

You can read the full list of reopening guidelines and rules here.

Follow @NickNorthwest