Following a sudden increase in COVID-19 cases in the West Klickitat County and recommendations from the County Health Department, area school districts adjusted their reopening plans in preparation for school starting in the next couple of weeks.
Officials from Lyle School District are still holding firm on the plan to start the school year in a hybrid format, the only district in the western part of the county to do so, with some changes in place upon further guidance. Each student may receive up to one day of in-person instruction per week, according to the school’s website. Along with limiting classroom sizes, district officials pushed back the starting date to Aug. 31. In an Aug. 17 update on their website, district officials claimed recent updates to their technological apparatus, including laptops and a “Viewsonic Board” additions to each classroom, as well as the size of the school, offers them the ability to begin with in-person instruction.
“The advantage of being a small school district in this situation is that the logistics are not as insurmountable as those in a large district. Lyle’s administrators and teachers alike have expressed the importance of getting students reconnected with school friends and staff as well as helping them master the new technology, if only for a single day a week,” wrote Deb Stenberg, communications liaison for Lyle School District.
“The current goal is to provide all students who need the extra support and want in-person interaction at least one day per week on campus. We are currently limited to five individuals per room, so to accomplish this goal, staff will be required to use every spare space in the school and have para-educators providing small group work,” Stenberg said.
Lyle School officials said that a student can participate fully in school through remote learning only due to new technology upgrades, a change from the remote learning model from this past spring.
Klickitat School Board members voted earlier this week to start this school year in a distance learning format, following decisions from neighboring districts as well as the latest recommendations from health officials. Glenwood School District too decided to begin school in a distance learning model.
Many area school districts decided earlier on in the month to begin instruction with a distance learning model, as guidance from the state showed Klickitat County was at higher risk of transmission, as notified by OSPI and the state department of health.
Klickitat, Glenwood, Trout Lake, and the White Salmon Valley School Districts each have a distance learning model set up for the beginning of school and are drawing up plans to transition into a hybrid model of learning as the situation calms.
School districts are indicating that they will follow guidance from the Klickitat County Health Department as well as guidance from the state, which includes OSPI and the State Health Department’s joint guidance on reopening schools. The latest guidance issued earlier this month shows Klickitat County as a high risk for COVID-19 transmission, due to the rate of positive cases. The guidance strongly recommends schools in such communities to open with a distance learning model, “with the option for limited in-person learning in small groups, or cohorts, of students for the highest need students.” District officials from White Salmon Valley, Trout Lake, and Glenwood have indicated that once the metrics used for decision-making in this area falls below the high-risk threshold of 75 cases per 100K people in the county, a decision to move into a hybrid model of learning may be made.
Below we list the essential information for each school district in Klickitat County.
GLENWOOD
Starting date: Aug. 31
Learning format: Remote/Distance learning
Important Information: This week students will pick up materials for school. Wednesday, Aug. 26, students with last names A-O will pick up materials for school. Thursday, Aug. 27, students with last names P-Z will pick up materials. If you do not have internet, please contact the district office.
Important Information: Wednesday, Aug. 26, students will pick up materials for school. Reopening conferences are scheduled for Thursday, Aug. 27 and Friday, Aug 28. If you do not have internet, please contact the district office. Students allowed on campus will be those with individualized educational plans, 504 plans, students who struggled with distance learning in the spring, and those with technological barriers.
Important Information: School has transitioned this year into a trimester system, with the first trimester focusing on core classes. Students can complete a year’s worth of credits in most subjects in two of the three trimesters. District officials are asking parents to help by taking their child’s temperature on days they will be in school, providing clean masks and modeling social distancing, handwashing and mask wearing practices for little ones. If you have trouble accessing online instruction, please contact the district office. Meals will continue to be provided five days a week.
Important Information: During remote learning, teachers will deliver instruction three days a week and set aside the other two days for meeting will small groups and individuals in Google Meet sessions. Families may opt to participate in online only instruction for K-12 students.
Important information: Parent/teacher conferences begin Wednesday, Aug. 26 and continue through the week. Students can pick up Chromebooks and other materials starting Monday, Aug, 24. Schedules will be posted weekly. Distance Learning and Self-Directed Learning Expectations will be shared with families during Parent Teacher Conferences.
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