Clark County Public Health released new guidance Thursday on school reopening, offering more clarity for families eager to see their children return to the classroom.
Clark County must experience moderate transmission rates of the coronavirus for three weeks of reports before local public health and school officials will recommend reopening, according to a news release from Educational Service District 112.
Transmission rate reports demonstrate how many cases per 100,000 residents have been diagnosed in a two-week period. Washington has advised that counties where the transmission rate is more than 75 new cases per 100,000 residents are high risk, and schools there should continue remote instruction. Transmission rates between 25 and 75, meanwhile, are considered moderate risk, and schools can start reopening for in-person instruction for elementary school students and high-need students.
Clark County, meanwhile, has straddled the line between moderate and high risk for several weeks; the latest report showed a transmission rate of 74.7 new COVID-19 cases per 100,000 residents.
Dr. Alan Melnick, Clark County Public Health director and chief health officer, said it’s important the county can sustain lower transmission rates for an extended period before schools can safely reopen.
“You really don’t want to be opening and closing again,” he said.
The new guidance could allow districts to bring young students and vulnerable students back into the classroom in late September in a hybrid model, with students alternating between in-person and remote classes. If the county remains in moderate transmission rates for another three weeks, the county could consider reopening classrooms for older students.
“Getting to a hybrid would feel like being in Christmas,” Evergreen Public Schools Superintendent Mike Merlino said in an interview earlier this week.
All Clark County school districts will begin the year next month in remote learning. Across the country, schools are beginning to reopen, with viral images of packed hallways and crowded classrooms prompting anger and fear on social media.
Clark County Public Health has also updated its website to include details about safe school reopening. Visit clark.wa.gov/public-health for more data.
