Washington Gov. Inslee announces distancing can be 3 feet in schools, aligning with CDC
Minimum requirements for distancing between K-12 students in classrooms will narrow from 6 to 3 feet, consistent with federal guidance updated last week, Washington Gov. Jay Inslee announced Thursday.
The shift is effective immediately, according to the governor’s office, and comes ahead of April deadlines the governor set for schools to start offering at least some in-person learning.
“We’re very pleased that students, and educators, and staff are continuing to return to the classroom now across the state of Washington, using safety protocols that we know that work,” Inslee said. “And today, I’m glad to be able to say Washington is embracing new guidelines that are safe, that will allow even more students back into schools in a more normal setting.”
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidance is still set at 6 feet of distance between staff members and between students and staff. And that longer distance is still recommended for students in some situations, such as when they’re eating and other times masks can’t be worn, or for older students in communities with high transmission and who aren’t in cohorts.
The new flexibility will let more schools welcome more students back into classrooms, according to the Washington Association of School Administrators.
“Today’s statement from Gov. Inslee is welcome news, particularly for those districts already positioned to bring more students back on campus for in-person learning,” said Executive Director Joel Aune in a prepared statement. “Some districts will need more time to adjust and plan under this new guidance, though this development puts everyone on a pathway to more fully reopen schools for in-person learning by the fall.”
For now, schools can still choose to stay at 6 feet of distance. But Inslee said he expects “normal operations” to be an expectation for all districts in the fall, so long as COVID-19 activity continues to decline.
“At some point, we hope to be able to — obviously — to remove any distancing requirement,” Inslee said. “But that’s not today. But I do feel, with the success of these vaccines, that day will come.”
Under an emergency proclamation he issued earlier this month, schools have to provide elementary students opportunities for some in-person learning by April 5, and to provide the same to all other students by April 19.
“I’ve seen educators, staff, really develop, in extremely challenging circumstances, protocols and logistics that can get our students back into school,” Inslee said. “I’ve seen it across the state of Washington. That’s what gives me confidence that we will now be able to see more of our students return to a much more normal school situation.”
This story was originally published March 25, 2021 at 3:26 PM with the headline "Washington Gov. Inslee announces distancing can be 3 feet in schools, aligning with CDC."
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