Pierce County district announces plans to bring young kids back to school next month
Puyallup School District kindergarten and first grade students will return to the classroom Jan. 12.
The 30,000-student district told families Friday that small groups of students would return in a “hybrid A/B” model for two days a week of in-person learning.
Group A students will attend Tuesday and Thursday and Group B students will attend Wednesday and Friday, the announcement said. Monday will be online for all students as teachers plan out the week.
In-person days would follow the board-approved 2020-21 bell schedule.
Before arriving to school, families are required to fill out a daily Electronic Health Screen Form for every child returning.
Students and staff will be required to wear face masks and practice social distancing. Communal areas and classrooms have been modified to public health safety standards to conform to social distancing requirements and increased disinfecting and cleaning.
Families should expect changes on in-person days. Puyallup School District will not allow students in the building until 10 minutes prior to the bell, hand sanitizer will be distributed to students when they walk in the building and again when they walk into the classroom.
Lunch, music and physical education will be held in the classroom to limit the movement of student groups, according to plans in place by the district.
The district shelved its plans to return to the classroom in September as Pierce County’s reported COVID-19 case counts peaked above the state’s threshold for gradual returns to school.
Over the summer the state recommended school districts wait until daily counts drop below 75 positive cases per 100,000 residents before starting a phased hybrid model. The model slowly brings students back, starting with the youngest first. Students alternate between in-person learning and remote learning throughout the week.
The Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department has since rolled out a $7.8 million rapid-testing program for schools. Peninsula School District, Eatonville School District and White River School District have returned to in-person learning.
As of Dec. 9, there have been four outbreaks resulting in 18 COVID-19 cases at Pierce County schools, according to the health department.
Families in Puyallup are expected to receive student schedules next week.
