Washington’s state school superintendent say students are going back to school this fall. On Thursday, Chris Reykdal announced his coronavirus advice for school districts.
Later in the day, the Community Colleges of Spokane became the latest institution of higher education to announce that they, too, will welcome students back to the classroom this fall.
Covid has greatly complicated the process of teaching students and keeping them safe.
Since classes were suspended a couple of months ago, educators all around the Northwest have been thinking about how to reconfigure classrooms and schools to reduce the health risks.
They’ve been consulting public health officials such as Spokane County Health Officer Bob Lutz.
"I was just on a conference call or a Zoom meeting with Spokane Public Schools about all the work it’s going to do to make it a safe learning environment for kids,” Lutz said.
Earlier in the day, Whitworth University President Beck Taylor tweeted his that he had met with Lutz earlier in the day to talk about his university’s plans for the fall. Lutz says Taylor is part of a working group of the region’s higher education leaders working on Covid issues.
“They're looking at best practices," he said. "One is getting back to in-person instruction, virtual instruction, blended instruction, getting kids back on campus. What does all of that look like? It’s incredibly complex.”
Part of that planning covers what schools will do if there’s a new rush of confirmed cases.