State schools chief: Expect to use distance learning ‘for quite a long time’

State Superintendent of Public Instruction Chris Reykdal told parents, educators and students in a video posted Friday that they should expect to use distance learning “for quite a long time.”

“I don’t know if we’re coming back to school this year, and I want to be honest about that. It’s going to be really tough to do because we want to make sure people are safe. If we rush back to school and put all of us in tight classrooms and bring everyone back into our buildings, there’s a chance that our caseload peaks back up again and that would be absolutely the worst thing for public health,” he said.

Reykdal said Gov. Jay Inslee would make the decision. Inslee has scheduled a press conference for 2:30 p.m. Monday, joined by Reykdal.

“I think you should expect to be in this distance learning model for quite a long time,” Reykdal said in the video, which is the first in weekly updates to parents, educators and students. “That’s the honest truth and we’ll keep you up to date as we know that.”

Inslee announced on March 12 that all K-12 public and private schools in Pierce, King, and Snohomish counties must close from March 17 through April 24 to help slow the spread of the new coronavirus.

On March 13, Inslee extended the closures statewide to May 4.

This story was originally published April 6, 2020 at 11:06 AM.