istock_081120_reopenschoolspandemic

Pepper Fisher

PORT ANGELES – On Monday, the Port Angeles School District will begin to allow 3rd and 4th graders back into classrooms, sticking to a cautious but effective method that has so far resulted in no Covid cases among students and staff.

To allay any concerns among parents that they might not be informed if positive cases should arise, Superintendent Marty Brewer thought it would be a good idea to pick up on the current trend of Covid data tracking and daily reporting that the county and state have been doing for much of the year.

The District website now has what they call a Covid dashboard, updated daily, that lists all schools, number of students, and the tally of Covid cases, which is now at zero.

District Spokesperson Jennifer Sperline:

“You know, I myself check the Clallam County website almost daily to see those Covid numbers, so I think people are more comfortable with that. So this seemed like something that was an easy transition, and plus, if we don’t share, people, you know, fill in the blanks themselves. And we certainly don’t want people to have a misinformation. So this is a great place to look so you can get accurate information and know exactly what’s happening.”

Obviously, the goal is to keep the case number at zero, but a positive case here and there would not necessarily be a deal breaker in terms of bringing students back. Sperline, echoing County Health Officer Dr. Unthank, says the bigger threat may be what happens in the community at large.

“The community transmission rates of Covid, we’re so dependent on that. And so I can’t say enough, and I know superintendent Brewer would echo this, that, you know, the community doing their part is huge because that is something that would automatically close our schools. You know, we get above that 75 per hundred thousand transmission rate and Clallam County and we get shut down. And that isn’t a choice.”