Clover Park to bring back pre-K through first grade in coming weeks
The Clover Park School District has released a tentative timetable that will gradually reopen schools for students.
The youngest students will be the first to return, with preschool through first grade children expected to start on Oct. 5.
In the district’s proposed “A/B hybrid plan,” grades will be divided into two groups. The groups will alternate two days a week with in-person instruction and three days a week of remote learning.
One group will return to the classroom on Mondays and Thursdays, while the other group will return on Tuesdays and Fridays. All students will have virtual Wednesdays.
The state recommends that counties with case counts between 25 to 75 per 100,000 over 14 days begin incorporating hybrid models of in-person learning and online school while monitoring COVID-19 case counts.
On Monday, the director of health for the Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department told superintendents they can begin to bring back elementary students in a phased approach.
As of Wednesday’s count, the Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department reports the 14-day rate per 100,000 is 59.
Following a March state order to curb the spread of the coronavirus, all schools closed and students have been in remote learning since.
Other school districts, including Tacoma, Puyallup and Bethel, have announced their plans to bring students back to schools this week. All intend to implement a similar hybrid and gradual approach.
Clover Park’s proposed schedule:
Oct. 5: Pre-K through first grade will attend school two days a week and continue remote learning three days a week.
Oct. 13: Second and third grade classes will attend school two days a week and continue remote learning three days a week.
Not before Nov. 2: Fourth and fifth grade will attend school two days a week and continue remote learning three days a week.
Not before Nov. 30: Middle and high schools will gradually bring students for in-person learning. Additional details to be shared in coming weeks.
Families who are hesitant to return to school can opt for full virtual learning, but their students will most likely have a different teacher, the district said in a statement. Elementary students will reach out to families to gauge interest in full remote learning.
On Friday, details on COVID-19 safety protocol will be released, spokesperson Leanna Albrecht said.
“We are working to get that information ready as we speak,” she said.
Next Wednesday and Thursday, Clover Park will present virtually on daily forms to fill out, measures the district is taking and the hybrid model.
This story was originally published September 24, 2020 at 2:41 PM.
