Two Woodland elementary schools close for COVID riskFree

LONGVIEW — Two Woodland elementary schools closed for in-person services Monday and Tuesday after two school district staff members tested positive for COVID-19, according school officials.

All staff members at Columbia Elementary School and North Fork Elementary School may have been exposed to COVID-19, so both school buildings will be closed out of caution to protect staff and the public, according to a message to parents from Columbia Principal David Starkey.

The district directed all staff members from both schools to self-quarantine and work from home until appropriate contact tracing can be completed, he wrote.

There will be no in-person services at the schools through Tuesday and perhaps longer, according to the message. Daily instruction will continue remotely, but instruction may look a bit different over the next few days because staff are working from remote locations, according to the message.

“With that being said, we as a school will do our best to honor our instructional schedules and keep instruction consistent and similar with what it has been over the last couple of weeks,” Starkey wrote.

Safety and facilities maintenance staff will continue to deep-clean all schools prior to the return of students, community and staff members, according to the message.

Woodland Public Schools will likely postpone the transition to face-to-face learning for elementary students from the planned September 28, 2020 start date, according to the message. At this time, the district does not have a new estimated start date for when it will be able to transition to face-to-face learning at any of the schools.