New state guidelines say it would be unsafe for most schools in Washington to reopen this fall, and officials in Clark and Cowlitz counties say they are now parsing that data ahead of pivotal decisions.
School boards throughout Southwest Washington have not officially decided whether to return students to classrooms — and risk spreading the coronavirus — or to keep them home to learn online.
“I just know the decision that is made will divide the community — regardless,” said Phil Jurmu, board president of the Longview School District, which is set to decide Monday.
The new guidelines, unveiled Wednesday by Gov. Jay Inslee and state schools Superintendent Chris Reykdal, assess each county’s risk factor based on the prevalence of the virus.
Related: Inslee says most Washington schools should move online, cancel sports
Counties harboring 75 or more positive cases per 100,000 residents over a two-week window are considered “high risk” and shouldn’t physically return to class, the guidelines say.
While a vast majority of counties in Washington are considered high risk, both Clark and Cowlitz counties, home to more than 100,000 students, are on the precipice.
Counties with between 25 and 75 new cases are deemed “moderate risk.” The guidelines say in-person learning could return for elementary school students and students in special education at districts in those counties.
Clark County’s current transmission rate is close to 74 cases per 100,000, according to county health officials. Cowlitz County, per the Washington State Department of Health, also stands at 74.
Ultimately, it will be up to dozens of individual school districts to decide for themselves. Jurmu said being at the doorstep of high risk hasn’t made the decision any clearer.
“I see things very strongly” on both sides, he said. “Personally, I cannot come to grips with the whole idea of knowingly putting our children at risk because it may impact the families much more than what we might know.
“I just know that the board is going to make the decision,” he added. “It’s not going to be Phil Jurmu’s decision.”
Related: Most Oregon schools will start this year online
Consternation over the decision has circulated throughout the region in recent weeks, as school districts’ start dates near. Most schools are slated to return in the last week of August or the first week of September.
Teachers unions and civil rights groups based in Clark County have both come out in favor of starting online. Unions, specifically, have asked for a decision soon so teachers can best prepare.
Last week, eight superintendents in Clark County jointly recommended classes stay remote as the school year starts.
Schools have been hosting workshops publicly, providing parents opportunities to voice their concerns for either decision. Like reopening the economy, a common question arose with schools: How will we know when it’s safe?
The state’s new guidelines make that answer a little clearer, said Wendy Smith, board president of Vancouver Public Schools, with roughly 23,500 students.
“It takes off a little bit of that pressure of making these decisions locally,” she said. “Not that local control isn’t really important. It is absolutely essential. But COVID doesn’t stop at the borders of Vancouver School District.”
According to the guidelines, if cases go down and risk lessens to “low,” with fewer than 25 cases per 100,000, many students could return to class. However, that return would likely be a hybrid approach, staggering in-person and online learning.
Washougal School District superintendent Mary Templeton, who signed the recommendation to start online this fall, said her board will officially decide next week.
Regardless of the decision, Templeton said school districts are talking weekly with Clark County health officials for local guidance.
“Once we get that conversation, we go to our school boards and share what we’ve learned, where we are, and how we recommend how we move to the next phase,” Templeton said. “We’ll have to find our place within that metric and I’m confident that we will.”
