VANCOUVER, Wash. — Starting next week, students in the Vancouver Public School District will have a chance to spend more time in school, in person.
Right now, students doing in-person hybrid learning have been going to class a couple days week. For some, starting next week their time in the classroom will double.
On Monday, May 3, preschoolers and kids in kindergarten through third grade will get four days a week of in-person instruction.
Then, starting the next week on May 10, students in fourth through sixth grade as well as 9th graders will start on the new schedule.
District spokesperson, Pat Nuzzo, said the school day is five and a half hours for all grade levels except for some preschool programs.
At this point, with the exception of 9th graders, middle and high school students will remain in hybrid, attending class in person two days a week.
Nuzzo said students in grades 7-8 and 10-12 aren’t increasing in-person learning time because there isn’t enough room for them all to physically go to school while also maintaining distancing guidelines. However, some students will be able to get added in-person time.
The district made the change based on the updated CDC recommendation saying students may be 3 feet apart instead of 6 feet. That change allows for more kids in a classroom. But Nuzzo said 6 feet of space is still required between adults, as well as students and adults. In addition, the 6-foot distancing guideline must be observed in common areas like hallways and cafeterias.
What parents are saying about the change
Sheena Pyatt has five kids in the Vancouver Public School District. All of them are participating in hybrid learning. KGW has checked in with her throughout the pandemic. Now her second and sixth grader will both get more time learning in person.
"I'm really excited for them to be in person. They need it educationally. They need it socially. I'm really excited,” said Pyatt.
She said since her kids started hybrid learning, she’s seen a difference.
“They're just happier. They're feeling better. They're feeling more hopeful and less trapped I guess,” Pyatt said.
Not all families chose the hybrid option. Heather Lindberg's daughters are finishing out the year remotely.
Lindberg is also part of the Vancouver Council Parent Teacher Association. She's heard concerns about equity from other parents and teachers.
“It's not that it's a bad idea to go back four days a week, it's just there are a lot of questions on how things are gonna go,” said Lindberg.
“I've heard teachers even say, ‘How am I gonna engage 20 kids in my classroom, when I have four who are at home?'” she said.
In addition Lindberg said some parents are put off by the way the decision to increase in-person learning was implemented.
She said the idea got the greenlight before parents and others were able to weigh in and provide feedback.
When we asked the district about parent concerns regarding lack of input, Nuzzo said in an e-mail, “Parents have had input over this past year via several district surveys about remote learning, technology, hybrid learning and transportation. Parents have the option for their child to remain in full remote if they don't want their children to attend in-person learning. If they don't want their full-remote child to be in a hybrid class with students attending in person, they can register their child for Vancouver Virtual Learning Academy, which is a full-remote option.”
As the school year winds down, Pyatt, Lindberg and their kids are all looking forward to next fall, hoping it'll be more like the school they knew before the pandemic.