Richland School Board sets date for elementary to return to in-person learning

RICHLAND, Wash.-- Richland School Board members are moving closer toward bringing some students back into the classroom with in-person learning with Preschool and Kindergarten starting Monday, October 26th.

At its meeting Tuesday night, the board agreed to implement an AM/PM model of hybrid learning, with students in elementary school attending classes either in the morning or the afternoon.

For middle school and high school, the board decided to adopt an ABAB model, where students attend class for a full day two days a week, in two separate cohorts, with Fridays off.

The biggest obstacle for the board was trying to determine how to phase in hybrid learning by grade, and when to resume in-person instruction.

Local health officer, Dr. Amy Person, spoke to the board at the beginning of the meeting, and recommended bringing students in the Tri-Cities back into the classroom sooner rather than later, but suggested a longer delay for older students who move from classroom to classroom throughout their school day.

"I worry about a lot of things," Dr. Person told the board. "I worry about-- will we have cases, I worry about the future of kids that aren't succeeding. There will be consequences for any decision we make. We can't 100% make people safe from any exposure from covid. I'm always going to err on trying to do what is the best for children, which, at this point, I think is getting more of them back into the classroom."

Dr. Person recommended waiting three weeks after bringing back younger grades before resuming in-person learning for high school students. She that will give them some confidence that the school district and health department can control any potential outbreaks, which she expects to occur.

The reason, she said, is that high school and middle school students can't be placed into cohort groups in the same way that elementary grades can.

"I'm just going to lay my cards on the table-- I don't want to bring secondary back until the end of the semester," Board President Rick Jansons told the other board members. He said he would be open to opening cafeterias for students with internet access challenges or other accessibility issues.

With the recent resignation of board member Rick Donahoe, there are just four board members, and they're split on how quickly to bring students back for in-person learning. Jansons and board member Heather Cleary favor a more cautious approach, while Kari Williams and Jill Oldson are more eager to get students back to the classroom.

"I think we have the right protocols, we have the PPE, but I want to see us in the moderate range (with COVID-19 cases)," Cleary said. She joined Jansons in his opposition to setting a date for bringing middle and high school students back to in-person learning.

Superintendent Shelley Redinger suggested giving staff time to take a look at how other school districts in the state and country are bringing secondary students back into classrooms before making a decision. The one exception will be Richland and Hanford High School students who attend Tri-Tech classes, which follows the Kennewick School District Schedule.

Nearly four hours into the meeting, the board voted 3-to-1 to resume in-person learning with an AM/PM schedule:

• Preschool/Kindergarten on October 26th
• First and Second grades on November 2nd
• Third, Fourth, and Fifth grades on November 9th.

With the decisions for hybrid schedules and phasing-in established, district staff will now reach out to parents and teachers to find out if they plan to return to the classroom or continue with the district's distance learning program.

The district has hired a third party consultant to review the district's processes for bringing students back, including ongoing review of the safety parameters in regards to PPE and sanitation supplies and distribution.