IN-PERSON LEARNING: Seattle Public Schools educators approve agreement for first phase of returning to campuses

| Coronavirus | West Seattle news | West Seattle schools

The Seattle Education Association has just announced that its members have approved the Memorandum of Understanding allowing some in-person learning for Seattle Public Schools students in preK through 5th grades as well as Special Education Intensive Service Pathways. From the union announcement:

The new agreement has assurances that remote learning remains high-quality for those who choose it. It also includes a commitment to keep as many students as possible with their current classroom educator, maintaining six-foot distancing, adequate educator leave for COVID quarantine, and clear signage for each work space being occupied to indicate that health and safety standards are being met.

The district and union are still in negotiations over the second phase of returning to in-person learning, middle- and high-school instruction. As recapped on the district website, elementary and K-8 schedules change on Monday; that’s also when preK students and those in elementary Special Education Intensive Pathways return in person, while other elementary students return April 5th.

Jared March 26, 2021 (11:07 am)

We really want kids going back to school for roughly two months this badly huh? Why can’t we just wait until Fall when it’ll obviously be safer. Love it.

High Point March 26, 2021 (11:24 am)

Because the Congress passed a law forcing the issue. Be sure to thank your Republican friends and families for completely disrupting the end of the school year.
- skeeter March 26, 2021 (12:05 pm)
  
  High Point – my head is spinning at how uninformed you are. The U.S. Congress made no such law “forcing the issue.” Governor Inslee, a democrat, issued an order that schools in Washington must re-open to in person learning by April 5 for grades K-5.
  - High Point March 26, 2021 (1:06 pm)
    
    Inslee is forcing the issue backed with funding from the federal government, not because of case counts or safety, but because it’s politically a good move. At least they must think so. The margins in the US Congress are too small for them not to make this decision as Republicans have weaponized reopening as a major talking point for the 2022 election. There’s no data to show that this is what parents in Seattle even what outside of a small cohort (and I think it would be easy to guess the demographics of this cohort).
    - M March 26, 2021 (9:40 pm)
      
      High Point,I can only guess at what sort of demographic you are suggesting, but I’m a Democrat and want my child back in person. I’ve seen the toll the isolation has taken on him and want better for him, and all children who choose to opt back in. At this point it is still a choice, so please don’t judge those that hold a different opinion than you. You don’t walk in their shoes. Soon we will know the exact numbers regarding parents wanting their children back in person, so I suppose we’ll see if it’s beyond a “small cohort” or not. You may be surprised. Vaccinations are available for teachers, and accommodations are being made for those who have valid concerns for not returning.
    - M March 30, 2021 (2:49 pm)
      
      The results are in….71% of the students in our elementary school have opted to go back in person.
- Sam March 26, 2021 (12:16 pm)
  
  Republican friends…like Jay Inslee, Seattle Children’s hospital, etc.?
Yes March 26, 2021 (11:43 am)

Yes, we do. Love it.
skeeter March 26, 2021 (12:01 pm)

Yes, Jared, we really want our children going back to school this bad. President Biden understands. Governor Inslee understands. And most of the parents understand.
- Jared March 26, 2021 (1:11 pm)
  
  Glad that matters more than other people’s safety :)
  - M March 26, 2021 (9:46 pm)
    
    That comment could easily be turned back on you with, “glad that matters more than the mental, social, and emotional health of thousands of children”. Vaccinations are available, and safety precautions are in place. We took the pause we needed to figure out a path forward. At some point, the scales tip and you need to move forward with the knowledge and tools you’ve gained.
  - wsresident March 27, 2021 (9:12 am)
    
    We have about 60 new cases of Covid in all three West Seattle zip codes, of 90k people. I think it’s going to be ok.
- The King March 26, 2021 (1:59 pm)
  
  “The state will not be bullied into making potentially unsafe decisions during the coronavirus pandemic”…..inslee july 2020 on reopening schools. Once the billions of dollars hit the table everyone sure changed their tune about in class learning.
Person March 26, 2021 (12:40 pm)

Yes.
Seager 15 March 26, 2021 (1:53 pm)

Jared if it’s so obvious to you that things will be safer by fall, please also let me know who will win my NCAA bracket and whether the M’s will be in contention in August. No one has a crystal ball when it comes to Covid. Trust the science and send the kids back to on-site school – if they and their parents want to – while the rates permit it.
- Anne March 26, 2021 (3:14 pm)
  
  That was kind of a snarky reply- No crystal ball needed-by Fall most if not all that can/want to be vaccinated should be. That’s huge when it comes to health & safety of everyone.
  - High Point March 26, 2021 (3:30 pm)
    
    Anne, based in CDC projections, 85% of adults in the US will be vaccinated by Dec 26th. That was based on yesterday’s numbers.
- kaj March 26, 2021 (3:26 pm)
  
  The Mariners will absolutely not be in contention in August.

ST March 26, 2021 (12:53 pm)

Yes, many parents want their kids back in school in person. Many kids have been virtual for over a year now and are struggling academically and emotionally. Parents are struggling. I think that in person learning, especially for the youngest kids, will benefit them greatly – even if for a couple hours per day. Governor Inslee has been very cautious about his reopening approach and I don’t think it is any different with schools. Notably, no child is being required to go back to school in person and, from what I have read publicly anyway, there are many safeguards in place for teachers and staff who cannot – or do not want to – be back in school buildings yet. If a parent is okay with remote learning and is concerned about a disruption because of several months of in person learning, it is their choice to stay remote.

High Point March 26, 2021 (1:35 pm)

ST: Staying remote does not mean there’s no disruption. My child’s schedule will be completely different once school’s reopen. My child will also lose a portion of live instruction by staying remote. Also, as of today, there’s no promises being made that my child will have the same teacher. All three of these will be disruptive to my child’s learning.

vee March 26, 2021 (3:19 pm)

Kids are suffering- They need to be backThey will be fine – How much more do you want then to endure mentally

Funding matters March 26, 2021 (3:51 pm)

Since when has a public school been the bastion of mental health care for children? SPS quit funding counselors over 10 years ago.
- S March 26, 2021 (9:35 pm)
  
  It’s not about counselors, although those would be nice. It’s about social connection. Kids need to be around other kids, and they need to be able to interact with their teachers in person. They are struggling without that. I do a weekly outdoor meet up with a few friends and our kids, and it’s like medicine for my kids. When they don’t get to be around other people they are sad, angry, depressed, and confused about why they feel this way. My kids are lucky because they have siblings, but so many others don’t.

Wavy David March 26, 2021 (11:07 pm)

It is unbelievable how much a year of being online 6-8 hours a day online has done to our child. Friends of ours go to Epiphany school (a private independent for largely rich folks) and its amazing that they remained fully open from September till now — with one week of sequester online after the major holiday breaks, then back to (real, in-person) learning. People don’t realize how incredibly inequitable the situation has become between public and private schools in our region. Of course there is no single solution that pleases everyone — every option is win-lose to varying degrees, but I feel that SPS students have borne the brunt of all the caution and incaution of adults. It makes no sense that we can go to malls and to bars and to work but young children in public school have to lock themselves up when they are NOT the spreaders.

Anna March 26, 2021 (11:32 pm)

I do not understand how a person, no matter how cautious they have been about the pandemic, cannot understand how important it is for a child to leave their house and have their regular routine of in person school. Are you going to fault all the private schools who are open? This “keep the public schools closed” argument no longer makes sense IMO.

WS Parent March 27, 2021 (7:42 am)

Children need to be back in school. Study after study show that it is safe to do this. As a society we should have prioritized children months ago over baseball, football, etc. Our leaders should have spoken to the facts about the safety around this.I am disappointed at a hybrid return to school that actually increases risk. SPS is still getting everything wrong. More women have left the workforce over the past year than ever before. This is not a coincidence. The gender inequity around virtual schooling is huge. The new SPS schedule is a joke. 2.75 hours of school a day. All the essential workers who don’t have the luxury of working from home will struggle with this plan.

Patience March 27, 2021 (8:33 am)

Yes M, vaccinations are available but please note: teachers were not included into the vaccination Phase until 3 weeks ago. Those of us teachers who were lucky enough to snag an appointment within those first 3 days have been receiving our 2nd dose these last 3 days. Do the math -==> I am getting my 2nd dose today (3/27). Per WA DOH, this 2nd dose should reach its full effectiveness in 2 weeks. I need to report back “for in-person learning” on April 5th but my 2nd dose effectiveness does not reach full-effectiveness until April 10th. I was one of the lucky ones who scrambled to get an appointment when Inslee added teachers to that current Phase. Please also note, SPS teachers/SEA agreed on the latest MOU but the latest news released this week from Inside is now throwing in the 3-foot rule. SEA has not agreed to this. I’d like the community to know – for these next 2-1/2 months of this school year- between spring break in a couple weeks (many students/families will be traveling, more potential exposures to bring into the classroom) and the the week it will take to get the students orientated back into the school AND the standardized testing that we will need to administer now that we will be back in person (which will eat up 2 weeks of our teaching) – that this will be very disruptive of the progress that my students have made this year. Though I am very excited to finally be able to see these kids in person, please realize that the students who will be heading back to in-person learning (and their parents), will now have the added stress of the school day commute as well as the possibility of exposure.

M March 27, 2021 (8:58 pm)

First, I just want to say that I genuinely appreciate all the hard work the teachers have put in for the past year (as well as in the best of times). I bow down to you all, truly. I don’t mean any disrespect, but in regards to pointing out that teachers were only recently eligible for vaccinations….I understand your concerns, but waiting to go back in person until fully vaccinated is a privilege MANY folks never had. Yes, I know tech workers are still wfh, etc., but there are countless professions that were never afforded that ability. I myself worked in a hospital for 10 months without a vaccination. Was I nervous? Yes. Did I do it anyway because it was a job that needed to be done, (and let’s be real…I’ve also got bills to pay)? Also yes. Even with just one shot, protection is still quite good, and we know a lot more about how to protect ourselves now than we did a year ago. In terms of the disruption to schedules and academic progress….while I was initially frustrated with the ridiculous schedules and hoops to jump through, I quickly checked myself and accept it all happily. I will do whatever is asked to get my child back in person, even if it’s just 2.75 hours a day. I don’t care if they don’t teach a thing for the rest of the school year. I just want him to be in society again. We don’t have family around to socialize with, and we have been very stringent with covid precautions to do our part. We can’t isolate any more than we have, and the cost is now apparent. I can give up restaurants and hang outs and traveling, but our kids need school, and peers, and teachers.

mariem March 27, 2021 (10:42 am)

It’s amazing, well…I guess not surprising, at how political some of the early comments on this thread have been. I am glad my student will have a small amount of in-person instruction in the final months of the school year.