Bellingham ‘to remain nimble and adaptive’ as schools prepare for in-person learning
Though the process is slow and often raises more questions than it answers, Bellingham Public Schools is beginning to plan how to welcome students back into its buildings for in-person instruction, Superintendent Greg Baker said in a letter Wednesday night.
“So many questions persist,” Baker wrote. “Is it time to bring folks back? If so, who? How soon? How long per day?
“This puzzle is the biggest one we’ve faced, well, at least since this summer when we were faced with how to bring back all students and staff remotely!”
Baker and Bellingham Public Schools, like all school districts around Washington state, have been wrestling with how to educate their students during the coronavirus pandemic since Gov. Jay Inslee announced March 13 that he was closing all schools in the state.
As school districts prepared for instruction in the fall, the Washington State Department of Health offered a Decision Tree to help districts answering when and how to begin bringing students back into the classroom.
Whatcom County Health Officer Dr. Greg Stern offered guidance in an Aug. 31 letter encouraging Whatcom County schools to utilize the Decision Tree, Whatcom Unified Command spokesperson Amy Cloud told The Bellingham Herald in an email, and Dr. Stern remains in frequent contact with the school districts about their plans.
On Monday, the Lynden School District announced plans to start bringing its youngest learners — kindergarten through second grade — back into the building on Oct. 5. That plan would tentatively have all grades receiving in-person learning by late November.
Bellingham Public Schools isn’t at that level yet, but Baker wrote that the district is beginning to make plans on how it can move to Phases 2 and 3 in its Reconnect Plan.
Phase 2 is still nearly 100% remote learning, according to the plan, though in-person instruction is provided for some identified students if safety of students and staff can be maintained.
“We plan to focus on students struggling most with remote learning, which may include those who do not have strong Wi-Fi access, despite our best efforts, and some students who receive Special Education services,” Baker wrote, adding that students who find themselves homeless and those whose primary language is not English also are on the list of who to bring back first.
“The key challenge is how to best identify our highest need students out of nearly 12,000 students and bring them back with all the new health requirements and minimize risks to the greatest degree possible,” Baker wrote.
And when the district does that, Baker said it needs to already be working toward Phase 3, which allows providing in-person learning for the district’s youngest students.
“I am reluctant to share dates of when every student will come back, because I am not confident we can predict the future well enough,” Baker wrote.
For example, Baker cited a recent increase Whatcom County has seen in new COVID-19 cases since Labor Day, which is similar to surges seen following Memorial Day and Fourth of July. According to data released Wednesday, Sept. 23, by the state Department of Health, Whatcom County has had 157 new cases since Sept. 7 — or nearly 10.5 infections per day since Labor Day.
Add in colder temperatures on the way, a projected second wave of the virus, students returning to universities and the approaching flu season, Baker said, and “No one truly knows the right answers and every community has its own context for decisions.”
In the coming weeks, Baker wrote that he expects new guidelines from the governor and the Department of Health.
He said he also expects the district will begin bringing back students in small numbers and using safety protocols the district developed within childcare programs.
“We need to remain nimble and adaptive, and I know, for many, this is frustrating,” Baker wrote. “We all want clarity and exact metrics, but unfortunately, that is not the reality we have been handed.”
This story was originally published September 24, 2020 at 12:52 PM.
