The current school year hasn’t even ended, but already students, parents and educators are wondering what next year will look like because of COVID 19.
The Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction has compiled a workgroup of more than 100 educators, elected officials, community members, parents and students to hammer it out, and here are some of the possibilities being considered:
- Traditional on-site face-to-face school is already not a viable option without dramatic changes to community transmission, or a vaccine, according to the OSPI
- Split or rotating schedules to meet social distancing demands, potentially divided by age or grade, by classroom, content, student need or by family choice
- Split or rotating schedules combined with distance learning
- Phased-in opening without distance learning
- Phased-in opening with distance learning
- Continuous learning as it’s happening now
- Continuous learning to meet any new stay-at-home orders issued by the Governor
According to a poll by the Education Trust released this week, 86% of Washington State parents are concerned about their children falling behind because of COVID-19 related school closures.
Three out of four parents surveyed (76%) also reported more stress than usual.
The OSPI workgroup hopes to have some answers by the end of June.
However, what school will look like ultimately depends on what happens with COVID-19.
Click here for a list of considerations for schools from the CDC.