Washington Recommends Most Schools Should Remain Remote This Fall

SEATTLE, WA — Washington state has released new guidelines showing when school districts should keep classes online, and when they can safely reopen schools to students. But under that guidance, almost all of Washington's schools are now being urged to stay remote when lessons resume next month.

The guidance is not legally-binding and districts will be given the authority to independently make the choice whether they should reopen their doors, but both Gov. Jay Inslee and State Superintendent Chris Reykdal are urging schools to follow the guidelines in the interest of public safety.

"Our comprehensive, in-person schools are really an amazing institution that underwrites our economy and our democracy, but we can't get to that right now if it is not safe for students and staff and their family members," Reykdal said at a news conference announcing the guidelines.

Those new guidelines sort all of Washington's counties into high, low or moderate risk: so as case counts grow or shrink at the county level, the guidance advises districts how to reopen, or conversely, what programs to shut down.

"This isn't just about not starting, but what does it mean if you start getting your cases down, and we have real success this fall, what does it look like to begin a return,"Reykdal said.

Here's a rough breakdown of those categories look:

High Risk Counties

A high risk county is one that has seen 75 new coronavirus cases per every 100,000 residents over the past two weeks. Currently, this includes most of Washington's largest counties including King, Pierce and Snohomish.

For high risk counties, the state:

• Strongly recommends distance learning
• Strongly recommends canceling or postponing all in-person extracurricular activities.

Related: What Each Pierce County School District Is Doing This Fall

Moderate Risk Counties

A moderate risk county is any county that has seen fewer than 75 but more than 25 coronavirus cases per every 100,000 residents over the last two-week period. That currently includes Thurston, Clallam and Cowlitz counties.

In moderate risk counties, the state:

• Recommends distance learning for middle and high schoolers
• Allows for possible in-person learning for elementary school students
• Strongly recommends canceling or postponing all in-person extracurricular activities.

Low Risk Counties

Finally, low risk counties are those that have seen fewer than 25 new coronavirus patients per every 100,000 residents over the last two weeks. Currently, only 5 of Washington's 39 counties qualify as low risk. Most are rural or sparsely populated like Asotin or Jefferson counties.

For low risk counties, the state:

• Encourages a hybrid model of in-person and distance learning for middle and high schools.
• Encourages full-time in-person learning for elementary school students.

Superintendent Reykdal says that, fortunately, these changes won't cause much of a disruption for most schools in Washington.

"Many districts have already gotten to this decision because they've been working with their local health experts," he said.

On offering quality, equitable learning

Education leaders across the state and country have long agreed that in-person instruction is both the highest quality form of education, and the most equitable since some struggling families may not be able to afford the tools necessary for remote learning. The state says its taken those concerns seriously and is working to make changes to help lower-income students receive the same quality education.

"We've gotta continue to sharpen our skill set, and broaden our access to these students," Inslee said. "They need us, and we need to be there for them."

One solution highlighted by the governor included a new $8.8 million in CARES act spending that will be used to help low-income families receive internet subscriptions. The governor says that money will help tens of thousands of Washington families connect to the internet at no charge for at least the next year.

Other concerns are also being addressed, including plans to make remote curriculum and lesson planning more uniform across school districts. Early in the summer Washington school districts were advised to make back-up plans in case in-person lessons were not possible in the fall, which Reykdal says is now paying off.

"We are a long ways ahead of where we were last spring," Reykdal said.