The Washington State Department of Health is asking public and private K-12 schools in the state to plan for a full-time return to in-person learning for the next school year, public health officials said during a COVID-19 briefing Wednesday.
But state health officials said that mandatory vaccination for eligible returning students won’t be required at this time.
Remote learning for the next school year will be available to families that need it, said Lacy Fehrenbach, deputy secretary for COVID-19 response for the state Department of Health.
The COVID-19 health and safety guidance for the 2021-2022 school year will be released later this week, Fehrenbach said, adding that the state was releasing the guidance far in advance to help schools and families prepare for the next school year.
Physical distance will be recommended and schools will be asked to come up with two plans — one that provides for a distance of 3 feet in classrooms and 6 feet elsewhere to the greatest extent possible and a plan that doesn’t have physical distancing requirements.
“This is partly because we are pretty far away from the (next) school year in terms of pandemic time,” Fehrenbach said.
She said the state will keep schools posted over the summer as officials monitor the science, the course of COVID-19 and vaccination rates in Washington.
Other school health and safety measures will include universal and correct use of face coverings, hand washing, cleaning, contact tracing, infection control plans and ventilation.
And while COVID-19 vaccination and testing “are additional layers of prevention that we recommend in schools,” they will not be required for the next school year, she said.
“These measures do greatly help reduce the risk of transmission in schools and in the broader community,” Fehrenbach said.
The briefing occurred after the Food and Drug Administration announced Monday that it expanded emergency authorization for the use of the Pfizer vaccine in adolescents 12 through 15 years old.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Advisory Committee on Immunizations Practices is meeting to consider the authorization as well as the Western States Scientific Safety Review Workgroup, to which Washington state belongs. Their OK could come as soon as this week.
Fehrenbach said the state will release its guidance for schools after those two groups meet.
“Schools play such a key role in child and family well-being. They are foundational to child growth, development, learning and health,” she said. “We’ve learned over the past year that schools are very good at implementing these health and safety measures, which limit transmission and protect the students, staff and their families.”
If the Pfizer vaccine gets the nod from regulators, an estimated 378,000 children 12 to 15 years of age in Washington could be eligible for vaccination against COVID-19, according to state officials.
“We strongly encourage families to get their children vaccinated for COVID-19 as soon as they become eligible, “Fehrenbach said. “Every single person who gets vaccinated is a step forward on our journey to recovery from this pandemic and gets us closer to a more normal school year next year.”
