Just in, a joint announcement from Seattle Public Schools and the Seattle Education Association, saying they’ve made a deal to get some students back into the classroom, four days after Gov. Inslee announced he would order schools to offer some in-person learning:
Throughout our joint response to the pandemic, the wellbeing of our students has always come first. On Tuesday March 16, Seattle Public Schools and the Seattle Education Association came to a tentative agreement that facilitates the safe return to school buildings for preschool and elementary students and staff. The agreement focuses on creating safe learning environments and supports special education inclusion by keeping students with IEPs in class with their general education peers. This tentative agreement is being brought to the SEA membership to be ratified and to the SPS Board of Directors for approval next week….
The tentative agreement includes our joint commitment to bring all pre-kindergarten and elementary special education intensive services pathways students back into classrooms first on March 29. SEA and SPS recognize the unique challenges that remote learning has presented these students. All other elementary students whose families choose the in-person instructional model and secondary special education intensive pathway students will start on April 5. …
Throughout bargaining the teams focused on meeting the needs of our entire school community whether in-person or remote. Additionally, to allow students more days of in-person interaction with classmates, the parties agreed on a hybrid (in person part-time and remote part-time) instructional model where students would attend either morning or afternoon in-person class four days a week, with remote teaching and learning on Wednesdays. All Families will also have the option of a 100% remote model. …
Kindergarten to 5th grade families will receive an Intent to Enroll Survey later this week and an opportunity to select the in-person instructional model or 100% remote.
Once the organizations ratify the tentative agreement next week, more details will be available.
Bargaining continues as SEA and SPS now focus on coming to an agreement to bring middle and high school students back to classrooms.
April 5th is the governor’s deadline for all students through elementary grades to be offered some in-person learning; for middle- and high-school students, he set April 19th. (His full proclamation is here.)
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