COVID forces North Beach School District to stop all classes for the week

OCEAN SHORES, Wash. — The North Beach School District will not be offering classes (in-person or remote) for the rest of the week, according to district superintendent Andrew Kelly.

The district plans to bring students back on Jan. 24.

Kelly said more than 20 staff members can’t currently work due to being infected with COVID-19 or because they’re dealing with COVID-related issues. Symptoms have been mild in all cases, so far, according to the district. More than 97% of staff are fully vaccinated or boosted, Kelly said.

“If they’re too sick to come to school, I know that they’re too sick to deliver instruction remotely,” Kelly said. “We just don’t have substitutes that are adequately trained to deliver that instruction.”

Kelly also said about 40% of students districtwide were absent on Tuesday.

Ann Allen, the district’s nurse, said there are at least 70 staff or students who have tested positive for COVID-19 following winter break. With so many staffers and students absent due to infections or exposure, Allen said it made sense to give people time to recover.

“We could have that education be so much more meaningful in a time where 50% of our kids can actually hear it,” she said. “I feel like we’re leaving behind those kids as they’re coming back from sickness in their household and sickness with themselves. I just think it’s really the right decision to make.”

Allen also said the district was facing troubles with testing accuracy.

“We’re finding that our rapid tests are falling us. The sensitivity, I would guess, is 30%,” she said. “We’ve had people where four of their rapid tests have been negative, (then) their PCR is positive.”

Kelly added, “It’s really forced us all into weighing a series of bad decisions and making the decision that is the least-bad of those choices. I hate the fact that we’re not going to be in school without kids the next three days.”

Allen said the break would also lower the risk of transmission in schools.

“Ann and I agree 110% that school closure and stopping activities for kids is a horrible thing… distanced learning isn’t as good for most kids as in-person learning,” Kelly said. “School closure is the last thing in the world any of us want.”

“We tried to keep going. We tried,” Allen said. “We’re coming at this truly, with all of our heart. We’re trying to get as many kids educated as we can.”

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