PORT ANGELES — Washington’s schools leader says he expects school districts to reopen buildings and return to in-person learning this fall as long as public health guidelines amid the coronavirus pandemic allow it.
As of right now, Clallam County’s Health Officer says it would be a “go” for re-opening here.
On KONP’s “Todd Ortloff Show” Thursday afternoon, Dr. Allison Berry Unthank says if the county continues on the good track of reopening it has so far; there’s no reason to not recommend in-person instruction this fall.
“You know, I’ve actually been a pretty early supporter of reopening schools in the fall. One of the things we know so far is that children, by and large, do really well with this infection; and that are our school districts have been working incredibly hard to do school safely. And so we’ve been working really closely with the local superintendents and I think it is really possible to open schools in a way that keeps children safe and also helps them learn which is really incredibly important for their lives.”
State Superintendent of Public Instruction Chris Reykdal and a work group of over 120 educators, parents, students and community organizations released a 47-page document with new guidance Thursday that shows what face-to-face instruction could look like. How and whether schools reopen depends, at least in part, on what phase their county is in as part of Gov. Jay Inslee’s reopening plan. But for now, education officials said, schools should plan to resume class in-person.