Tri-Cities area school districts are working on plans to feed students during the statewide school shutdown through April 24.
Tri-City Herald
Kennewick, WA
Tri-City school leaders were left searching for answers for parents after state leaders canceled six weeks of classes in an attempt to curb the novel coronavirus.
Richland students will stay home Monday, while Kennewick, Pasco and other area students attend classes through Tuesday before the shutdown.
While the closures through April 24 are expected to keep children at home, Gov. Jay Inslee directed the school districts to keep teachers and other employees working during that time. What that will end up looking like is still being sorted out.
“I urge labor and management to work together in the best interest of kids,” he said Friday’s news conference. “This is not a vacation, work may look different but the expectation is that school employees will still be working.”
School leaders had more questions than answers as Kennewick, Pasco and Richland school boards met in emergency sessions Friday afternoon and evening.
They had plans for feeding students and some answers on whether they’re equipped to provide online classes and whether childcare will be available.
But there are concerns about if there will be high school graduations this year and how to keep student skills from sliding.
In the Tri-Cities, the executive order effects at least 57,000 students. The governor also ordered higher education institutions to “restrict activity,” prohibited events attended by more than 250 people and also increased restrictions on nursing homes.
The move came as Tri-City school districts were still in the planning stages for what to do if the districts needed to close.
Committees in Kennewick, Pasco and Richland have been putting together plans based on recommendations from the Benton-Franklin Health District and the Office of Superintendent of Public instruction.
All three school leaders called the closure unprecedented, and said many questions will be answered over time.
“This is going to be an evolving thing. We’re going to be making more decisions and getting more options available as time passes,” said Richland Superintendent Rick Schulte. “I encourage all of you if you have questions or ideas or thoughts, to let us know.”
The three districts encouraged people to submit their questions either by phone or through email.
- Richland — [email protected]
- Pasco — [email protected]
- Kennewick plans to have more information through its website ksd.org.
The Tri-City school districts also canceled sporting events, assemblies, dances and drama and dance competitions.
This weekend’s SAT and ACT testing will continue.
The move left Kennewick leaders questioning whether the governor’s move really made sense. The CDC has reported closing schools for six weeks will do little to combat the illness, according to the Sacramento Bee.
Feeding those in need
With schools closing, many raised concerns about how to feed the thousands of students who rely on free and reduced-price meals. Each district presented plans in various stages of development.
- Richland plans to send sack breakfasts and lunches with bus drivers, so students can pick up meals at their bus stops.
- Kennewick will have nine pickup locations for students to get food. They plan to announce when and where on Monday.
- Pasco, for the first week, is asking people to go to their nearest school to get breakfast and lunch. They will then make deliveries to the outlying areas.
None of the school districts presented plans for how students can get to food pantries, which students often rely on to feed themselves and other children during extended breaks.
Graduations in jeopardy
For certain, students are going to spend until June 19 in class and may lose some extra vacation time when they return to class.
This will add nine days to Pasco’s and Kennewick’s school years and 10 days to Richland, but students won’t need to meet two other state requirements — spending 180 days in class and 1,027 hours in the classroom.
As long as school districts extend the school year, OSPI is offering waivers for those requirements.
All of the school districts are hoping to prevent students from losing ground or being behind when they reach their next year.
The districts are letting students take home textbooks, classroom material and computers so they can keep learning while on the break. They are working with teachers to put together packets of work for students to do.
Pasco and Kennewick students will be able to pick items up on Monday, and Richland schools will also be open for students and staff to pick up items between Tuesday and Friday.
While many colleges and universities plan to teach more students online, it’s unclear whether the K-12 school districts can follow suit in any form.
The state superintendent compiled a list of eight conditions that districts would need to meet if schools want to teach online. They include:
- Making sure all students have the same access to computers and learning materials.
- Ensuring the online teaching methods can meet all student needs, including those in special education programs.
- Meeting the requirements for full-day kindergarten.
- Train all of the staff, students and parents on how the system works.
- The ability to track attendance.
- Making sure the system keeps staff or student information secure.
- Continue to provide school meals.
“Taking a traditional school environment online is not a simple task — nor is it one that should be attempted without serious consideration of the practicality and risk,” the state told districts.
None of the districts plan to offer online classes during the break, but they want to provide supplemental material.
“OSPI has been pretty clear with us that any online learning that we do needs to be seen as supplemental not as required,” Schulte said.
Kennewick Superintendent Traci Pierce said they learning from other districts, who are planning to send home packets for students to work on. She is hoping to find a way to keep students from sliding backward.
There still remain questions about what will be required for high school juniors and seniors. While the Inslee, and state Superintendent Chris Reykdal promised graduating seniors would be fine on Thursday, Whitney said it’s been evolving over the course of the day.
The districts are also questioning whether they will have graduation ceremonies or just have students drive up and collect their diplomas.
“I honestly don’t believe that there will be graduation ceremonies this year,” Kennewick School Board President Dawn Adams said.
