VANCOUVER, Wash. — Evergreen Public Schools in southwest Washington has released its fall plans. Those plans include some in-person instruction for small groups of high-risk students.
The school district says it'll identify which kids will be a part of the groups. They'll include small groups of kindergarten students as well.
The plan is for in-person instruction to start as early as September 10 with the first day of school set for September 1.
In an e-mail, a spokesperson told KGW "high-risk students" include kids who have special needs, English language learners, students in foster care and those who are homeless.
The reason kindergarten students are included is because the district said they "need extra attention and experiences in assimilating into the school environment."
District officials said there will be safety guidelines in place too. Everyone will have to wear masks, there will be health screenings, ample hand washing and social distancing.
Superintendent Mike Merlino said the plan is an attempt to find equitable ways to make sure all students get the best learning experience.
At this point, you might be wondering about teachers.
They're being encouraged to work at their school, but are allowed to work remotely.
Once those high-risk student groups are identified, some district employees will get 48-hours notice about coming back to school buildings.
Employees do have options for not coming back.
In a statement, Evergreen Public School officials said, "The district also has provided all employees with options if they, or family members, fall in high-risk categories or have childcare needs."
Even so, there are some in the community who have expressed concerns about allowing in-person instruction at all.
We spoke with Veva Jenkins over the phone about the district’s fall plans. She said her husband works in the district with special needs students.
“My concern is for the teachers and students,” said Jenkins. “They’re in a small environment and although there’s going to be a limited number of kids in there at a time, it’s very difficult to maintain safety,” she said.
In addition to the space limitations, she said she’s also worried about the students her husband will be teaching.
“Bless their hearts, I love the kids,” Jenkins said. “But some of them, they’re not careful. They’re not gonna keep masks on, I can tell you that.”
With what's happening in the Evergreen Public School District, we wondered if any Oregon districts were considering any in-person teaching.
The Oregon Department of Education said it would allow it under certain conditions.
First, staff or students need to be confirmed COVID-19-free for 14 days. Schools need to follow ODE rules for health protocols, school operations, and how to respond if there's an outbreak.
We reached out to Oregon’s largest district, Portland Public Schools. A spokesperson said at this point everything is virtual. But it’s continuing to work on ways to give small groups of high-risk students in-person instruction.
Other large districts, including Salem-Keizer and Beaverton, are also starting school fully virtual.
On its website, the Salem-Keizer School District has said that it hopes to bring in students who need additional help, but was unclear on when or if there would be any in-person instruction. If there were to be any in-person instruction, the website said district officials would work closely with state and health officials.