‘First’ day of school for Seattle secondary students

SEATTLE — Seattle Public Schools welcomed back middle and high school students to in-person learning on Monday.

Secondary students districtwide will spend their mornings online and have a chance to go to school in person two afternoons a week. Half of the students will come Monday and Tuesday, and the other half will come Thursday and Friday.

Parents of about 53% of the students indicated they will send their children back to the classroom.

At Jane Addams Middle School in North Seattle, it expected about 80% of students to attend in-person learning.

“In the afternoons, we’re very much focusing on differentiation, helping students with specific skills and reinforcing learning that happened in the morning,” said Paula Montgomery, principal of Jane Addams Middle School. She said transportation is one of the reasons some students will be sticking to remote learning. “There’s a number that transportation is a barrier. The half-day is also a barrier. Parents are working, and it’s hard to drive their students to school midday.”

Angela Curry dropped off her son at school. She has children at three Seattle schools. “I have three kids. One in middle school, one in grade school, and one in high school. So I’m trying to negotiate them coming back with my work schedule. It’s been a little much,” said Curry.

Seattle schools are keeping students 6 feet apart in the classroom, ensuring social distancing in hallways, and encouraging them to use hand sanitizer.

KIRO 7 asked Curry if she was nervous about sending her son back to class. “For the most part, we were willing to accept a certain level of risk based on the fact we could get our kids back to school again,” said Curry. “My husband and I both work in the health care field, so we’ve been vaccinated for several months now, so I hope everybody else gets that same opportunity.”

Janie Ng was pleased her son could go back to school. “It feels good. I’m glad the kids are back. It’s a little normal. My son wanted to come back to school to see his friends and have a routine instead of sitting in front of a computer eight hours a day,” said Ng. “There’s a mental health thing, staring at a computer, being alone in a room. It’s just not healthy for kids.”

Cox Media Group