Schools wanting to reopen in the fall of 2020 are all trying to get solid plans in play so that returning to school will be a healthy and safe place for their students and staff. There are some large areas, such as Seattle where they are intending to start school remotely and continue with this model until further notice. Parents are asked to be flexible in their expectations for this upcoming school year.
School districts have been hard at work organizing the necessary plans using guidelines and requirements that the Washington State Department of Health (DOH), Office of the Governor and the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) in addition to many different subcommittees gave them earlier in June. They called this 58 page document the Reopening Washington Schools 2020: District Planning Guide in which each school district must follow in their own way as long as they are compliant. To view this document in its entirety you can go to DPGazette.com/waschoolguide.
Some key requirements from the OSPI guidelines that need to be in each school district plan is :
- Face coverings
- Hand washing
- 6 feet spacing between individuals
- Transportation
- Screening plan
- Cleaning policies
Many parents have received emails and phone surveys so that the districts can get a feel for the parent’s thoughts about returning in the fall.
Questions like:
- Would you be interested in doing an alternative day model?
- Would you be interested in doing distance learning?
- How likely are you to want to homeschool?
These questions are meant to be collected so that the schools can make the best plans for their district.
Deer Park Superintendent Travis Hanson has recently made another step when he sent a phone message on June 23 to all of the parents in the district announcing an online conference for families. The online event will give parents an opportunity to hear what the school is planning and for them to ask questions. The online meeting for parents will be held on July 28th at 6:00pm, more information on this will be emailed out by the district to parents, and updates can also be found on their website Dpsd.org as they come available.
Save The Date
July 28th
6:00pm
