Yesterday the Snohomish Health District issued a recommendation that all schools in Snohomish County start the school year with remote learning. COVID-19 case numbers are nearly identical to those when we first closed in March. The county has seen a string of nearly two months of increasing numbers of cases per week. A high percentage of caregivers, community members, and staff are in an at-risk group or directly care for someone who is. While we have been blessed with a low number of cases in Darrington, we simply cannot risk a traditional reopening that could cause an outbreak of this disease locally. Based on this information, and feedback from our Reopening 2020 work group, we will plan on starting the school year with a remote learning model.
Current projections would place Darrington in a remote learning model through at least the first academic quarter (November 6, 2020). As that date approaches, we will reevaluate health department recommendations and regional data and adjust our academic programs accordingly. Speaking for every member of our work group, what we all want more than anything is to bring students back to school in our buildings in classrooms. At the same time, we are committed to ensuring the safety of our students, staff, families and community.
The Reopening 2020 work group will complete its plan in the coming days, addressing the specific components of each phase, as well as steps to keep students, staff and our community safe. This model will include a phased approach to reopening, with increased opportunities for on-campus learning based on guidance from the state and county health departments. The steps will commence with remote learning for all students. As it is safe, and as we receive further guidance from health authorities, we will add remote learning with limited in-person instruction, a hybrid model of in-person and remote learning, and in-person instruction with social distancing. The school board will hold a special meeting on Wednesday, August 12, to review the Reopening 2020 plan.
We all want our kids to come back to school, to learn, grow, and to succeed. We all want for things to get back to normal. We also want to keep our kids and our community safe. There are still many questions to be answered. We will come together to make this a great year for Darrington students.
Dr. Buck Marsh
Superintendent
Darrington School District