Superintendents from 32 school districts in Eastern Washington are petitioning the state for new social distancing guidelines during in-person learning.
The letter was formally sent by NorthEast Washington Educational Service District 101 (NEWESD 101), but did not include Spokane Public Schools. It asks Governor Jay Inslee and Dr. Umair Shah, Secretary of the Washington State Health Department, to shorten distancing guidelines from six feet to three feet.
“Respectfully, we request that some defined flexibility with physical distancing requirements be provided,” the letter stated.
Mead School District Superintendent Shawn Woodward, who was one of the 32 superintendents to sign the letter, said 20% of families in his district are still learning remotely. (Mead previously gave families the option to choose either in-person learning or remote instruction.)
“We have waiting lists at the elementary level for families who are ready to come back now. We’re just trying to find the space for them,” Woodward said.
Woodward also said if social distancing guidelines were not shortened to three feet, the district would not have enough room for Grades 6-12 at schools. If the guidelines remained, those grades will most likely start the year on a hybrid model.
“With the hybrid model, we know that they’re only getting about 60% or 70% of the instruction that they would normally get,” Woodward said. “We have evidence now at the secondary level that kids are not learning at the same rate that they were a year or two ago.”
Woodward said “it’s going to be a travesty for our students” in the district, if they were not able to return to full in-person learning.
“(Remote students) are already missing out on a great deal of instruction and their learning is absolutely impacted,” Woodward said. “I hope our lawmakers really consider the impact on our kids, our families, and our communities.”
When asked by Spokane Public Schools chose not to sign the letter, a district spokesperson wrote to KHQ:
“Spokane Public Schools is committed to following the guidance and regulations of the Washington State Department of Health and the Spokane Regional Health District. District representatives have been continuously engaged with public health officials regarding the reopening of schools and next steps as we transition to a more typical in person experience. These conversations have included the current six-foot distancing requirement and when that may be modified or rescinded. We continue to look forward to updates and revisions of the reopening guidelines based on the most current data and science that is available to public health officials.”
Here is the letter NEWESD 101 sent to Governor Inslee and Dr. Shah in its entirety:
February 23, 2021
The Honorable Jay Inslee
Governor, State of Washington
Dr. Umair Shah
Secretary, Washington State Department of Health
Dear Governor Inslee and Dr. Shah,
As the undersigned school district superintendents and educational leaders in northeast Washington, we have and continue to appreciate the science-driven leadership each of you, and your respective teams, have provided throughout the ongoing SARS-CoV-2 pandemic.
You have modeled – as we believe we have – the words of the famed South African cleric and antiapartheid and human rights activist, Desmond Tutu: “My humanity is bound up in yours, for we can only be human together.” You have shown care and compassion for the safety and well-being of all of the residents of our state, and we have strived to do the very same for all of our students, families and our school and district staff and colleagues.
We recognize that in the midst of a once-in-a-century pandemic, we must all work together to follow and implement mitigation factors that protect and maximize human safety, and simultaneously afford opportunities to meet our mission to provide students with the highest quality of learning and teaching they need and deserve.
While each of our districts and schools have chartered individual paths forward in navigating the transition from all remote learning to increasing degrees of in-person schooling; and though each region of the state is engaged in similar work; our collective region has been something of an action-research test case of the efficacy of in-person learning and teaching during the pandemic.
Throughout our individual journeys and our collective regional journey, we have worked closely with our respective local health jurisdictions to make informed decisions. We continue to be grateful for the work and guidance of these caring public health professionals, and we value that they have helped us balance a “need to be distant” with a similarly compelling “need to be together.”
We believe that we have substantively been successful in bringing increasing numbers of students and staff into school, while minimizing in-school transmission of the virus. Your recent letter to the Washington Education Association, Governor Inslee, speaks to this:
What we have found is that, of those 200,000 students doing on-site learning, there has been minimal in-school transmission either between students or between students and staff. There have been 87 documented instances of in-school transmission out of 200,000 students. This is a remarkably low rate of transmission and the median number of people involved is two. There is a large amount of data and science investigating this issue across the United States, but the most compelling evidence is our own experience –Washington educators, because of their discipline and skills, know how to do this safely.
We follow and monitor all non-therapeutic interventions with genuine fidelity. We have created and employed COVID response teams in our districts and schools; we engage in careful contact tracing; and we maintain COVID-19 dashboards either at the district/school level and/or in partnership with NEWESD 101 https://www.esd101.net/covid19/covid-19_dashboard to assure our data is transparent to the public we serve.
Our individual and collective successful experiences have been similar to those of others across the state, the country and globally, and scientific research reports through organizations such as the Institute for Disease Modeling https://covid.idmod.org/#/ResearchandReports have documented that schools have not led to significant spread of the virus.
As we contemplate planning for the balance of the 2020-21 school year, and importantly as we turn our attention to the 2021-22 school year, we write today to request needed consideration for some flexibility with the requirement of “at least six feet of physical distancing” as required by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/prevent-getting-sick/socialdistancing.html#:~:text=To%20practice%20social%20or%20physical,indoor%20and%20outdoor%20spaces.
As articulated by the American Academy of Pediatrics https://services.aap.org/en/pages/2019-novelcoronavirus-covid-19-infections/clinical-guidance/covid-19-planning-considerations-return-to-in-personeducation-in-schools/:
There is a conflict between optimal academic and social/emotional learning in schools and strict adherence to current physical distancing guidelines. For example, the CDC recommends that schools “space seating/desks at least 6 feet apart when feasible.” In many school settings, 6 feet between students is not feasible without drastically limiting the number of students. Some countries have been able to successfully reopen schools after first controlling community-wide spread of SARS-CoV-2 while using 3 feet of distance between students without increases in community spread.20 Physical distance between desks should follow current public health guidance, and desks should be placed at least 3 feet apart and ideally 6 feet apart. In many jurisdictions, cloth face coverings are mandatory for children in public settings, including schools. Schools should weigh the benefits of strict adherence to a 6-feet spacing rule between students with the potential downside if remote learning is the only alternative.
In order for many of us to be able to bring all of our students who want to come back to in-person schooling, and not relegate some to continued remote learning, strict adherence to six feet of physical distance renders this desired outcome physically impossible.
Respectfully, we request that some defined flexibility with physical distancing requirements be provided. We understand, support and will continue to follow all of the mitigation factors we continue to implement and require – and with flexibility as described by the AAP – we will be able to safely accommodate all of our students, and provide them the quality of learning and teaching they need and deserve, and to which we are sincerely committed.
Again, we deeply appreciate your careful leadership and stewardship of the health and well-being of all Washingtonians through the pandemic. We also appreciate your consideration for physical distancing flexibility that will allow us to serve each of our students in-person.
With gratitude and respect,
The undersigned public school district superintendents and educational leaders in the NEWESD 101 region
Public School District Superintendents
Ms. Shauna Schmerer, Almira SD Mr. Bob Moore, Benge SD Mr. Rich McFarland, Chewelah SD Mr. Jerry Pugh, Colfax SD Mr. Greg Price, Columbia SD Mr. Don Hawpe, Cusick SD Mr. Jim Kowalkowski, Davenport SD Mr. Travis Hanson, Deer Park SD Dr, Randy Russell, Freeman SD Mr. Jeff Baerwald, Great Northern SD Mr. Kim Spacek, Inchelium SD Mr. Michael Olsen, Kettle Falls SD Mr. Doug Curtis, Lacrosse SD Mr. Brett Baum, Liberty SD Mr. Don Vanderholm, Lind-Ritzville Schools Mr. Brad Van Dyne, Loon Lake SD Mr. Rick Winters, Mary Walker SD Mr. Shawn Woodward, Mead SD Mr. Tim Ames, Medical Lake SD Dr. Dave Smith, Newport SD Mr. Brian Talbott, Nine Mile Falls SD Mr. Don Baribault, Northport SD Dr. Jake Dingman, Oakesdale SD Mr. Dan Read, Odessa SD Ms. Suzanne Savall, Orchard Prairie Ms. Sherry Cowbrough, Orient SD Mr. Kevin Young, Republic SD Dr. Ken Russell, Riverside SD Ms. Nancy Lotze, Selkirk SD Ms. Suzanne Schmick, St. John-Endicott SDs Mr. Ben Ferney, Valley SD Mr. John Adkins, Wellpinit SD
Private School Leaders
Ms. Ashley Strine, Acting Administrator Windsong School Mr. Michael Dougherty, President Gonzaga Preparatory School Mr. Roger Gerstenberger, Head of Schools Northwest Christian Schools Ms. Gretchen Hausman, Principal Spokane First Presbyterian School Ms, Katie Rieckers, Director Catholic Schools Mr. Jamie Tender, Head of School Saint George’s School Ms. Lorri Downs, Principal Southside Christian School Mr. Charlie Wilson, Principal Pullman Christian School
Public Charter Schools Leaders
Mr. Travis Franklin, CEO Spokane International Academy Ms. Shauna Edwards, Executive Director Lumen High School
