All-online school sensible, but Washington educators, legislators must get it right
School districts across the nation have found themselves ill-prepared to face the ongoing crisis caused by COVID-19; Washington is no exception.
Kudos to all 13 Pierce County public school districts for deciding in recent days to go to an all-online format this fall, consistent with the guidance of Dr. Anthony Chen, director of the Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department. He said it would be unsafe to reopen classrooms while local coronavirus case numbers “skyrocket.”
But the rapid transition to virtual learning means educators have a lot to figure out between now and Labor Day.
Most local parents and caregivers still don’t know the expected duration of an online school day, the nature of teacher interaction, how grading will work and how much adult participation will be required.
While administrators and teachers scramble to construct remote learning plans, families need specifics to make an academic routine possible. School leaders must provide details sooner rather than later.
Elected state leaders don’t get a free pass on this, either. Action in Olympia is needed to address two resources that schools desperately need to serve kids from a distance: mental health professionals and broadband internet access for all.
“I’m disappointed that the Legislature hasn’t taken any decisive action,” Tacoma School Board President Scott Heinze said at last week’s board meeting, understandably impatient for the governor to call a special session in August.
Nearly 1 in 5 US students don’t have access to a computer, and that number is probably higher in places like Lakewood’s Clover Park School District, where 71 percent of students qualify for free or reduced lunches.
CPSD is the fourth-largest school district in Pierce County; it was also last to announce all learning would be remote this fall. Spokesperson Leanna Albrecht told us the district waited to receive feedback from discussions and surveys before taking the plunge.
Keeping kids safe at home was a smart decision considering Lakewood, with 451 reported COVID-19 cases as of Thursday, is second only to Tacoma. But that doesn’t make it an easy decision.
“Anything other than face to face learning is less than ideal,” Albrecht said, adding that the district had to ensure a virtual education is equitable and accessible to all.
When Gov. Jay Inslee closed Washington schools in March, CPSD quickly distributed 3,300 computing devices and deployed more than 350 hotspots to students not equipped with wifi.
By this fall, the district expects to distribute another 10,000 devices and deploy 200 more hotspots. But unlike other districts in Pierce County, it doesn’t have a voter-approved technology levy to help bridge the digital divide.
Creating high-quality lesson plans will largely be left to teachers, who’ll receive additional training not available last spring when coronavirus caught schools unprepared.
CPSD may have taken longer to settle on online-only learning, but we’re impressed with its plan to support the development of all students. Other school districts may want to take note.
It’s currently training an “engagement team” whose job is to check in with students not regularly attending virtual learning.
The district has also purchased a social-emotional curriculum for grades K-8, knowing the disruption caused by COVID-19 is more than academic. Lessons on resilience and emotions won’t replace in-person peer learning or positive interactions in and out of classrooms. But they’ll address psychological health, a necessary component of learning.
Over 27 percent of CPSD students are military dependents from Joint Base Lewis-McChord. These kids are no strangers to upheaval; even so, the district has contracted with Greater Lakes Mental Health and the Department of Defense behavioral health services on JBLM sites.
Schools are also a key resource for food. That means districts must make sure kids can get a nutritious breakfast and lunch, as they did after the shutdown last spring.
No doubt the coming academic year presents a vertical learning curve for all involved, but so far, families have been left with more questions than answers.
It’s almost time for Washington school districts — and state lawmakers — to turn in their homework.