TACOMA — Whether online or on paper, learning must go on.
Beginning next week, school districts across Washington closed in response to the COVID-19 outbreak should be ready to proceed with continued learning, according to State Superintendent Chris Reykdal.
“Our expectation is by Monday they have plans in place,” Reykdal said in a media conference Thursday.
Starting April 6, OSPI will start gathering data from districts on what those plans are and how they’ll be implemented. It also will gather data on how districts are addressing food distribution and child care.
Reykdal largely left the details up to individual school districts. Not all will be able to move their entire learning systems online, he said.
He did make one thing clear: “Doing nothing is not an option.”
There are still equity concerns among districts for students who might not have access to online learning materials. Reykdal shares that concern.
“Do not let the risk of not serving them now be a reason why you don’t do anything,” he told districts.
He advised district officials to reach out to their families to determine who may not have access.
Reykdal pointed out that some districts have already started rolling out learning plans.
Tacoma Public Schools started offering hard copy packets of optional learning materials to students this week.
Starting Friday, the district will begin contacting families with details regarding the first phase of how laptop computer distribution will work. On Sunday, students will receive calls from their school principals on how teachers and students will communicate remotely.
Teachers will reach out to students Monday.
“Teachers are now working on both how they’ll deliver learning activities and a plan for effectively communicating with their students,” the district said in an update Thursday.
Some schools, like Bellarmine Prep, already have determined roughly all 800 of its students have the capability to do online learning.
There is no directive by OSPI on grading materials at the moment, Reykdal said.
“A consistent evaluation model is tough to do,” he said.
While Washington’s K-12 education system would see an increase in funding as part of the federal government’s coronavirus stimulus deal, it’s not much, Reykdal said. K-12 systems across the country would see about $15 billion of the $2 trillion package, passed by the Senate on Wednesday.
“I feel that’s a little light,” Reykdal said Thursday. “…We’re encouraging people not to think of the feds as a big salvation.”
Reykdal added that the state is preparing in case of a shutdown through the rest of the school year.
Even if school opens back up in April, it’s unclear whether families will have the confidence to return their children to school right away., he said
“It’s too early to be assessing that,” he said.
There still are many unknowns.
“It’s a very different world when students are suddenly seeing their teachers in their living room,” Reykdal said.
