Tacoma schools pass COVID test. Here’s who deserves extra credit for pulling us through
Finally, Tacoma is ready to open again.
COVID has been more than difficult on many of us. Simply stated, Tacoma has been more than tested. It took our collective wherewithal, working together as a team, to face these unprecedented challenges.
We lost loved ones and neighbors, we were scarred from the continued historical injustices and we had to battle daily life circumstances that none of us have ever had to face. The grit it takes to come together for a cause is deeply rooted in Tacoma and why I love this community.
From all of us at Tacoma Public Schools, “Thank you.”
We want to thank our students. You demonstrated resilience and innovation. Life is never easy, yet like the rest of us your worlds were turned upside down.
You supported your families and communities in new ways, while navigating changing learning conditions. We see your courageous leadership and are inspired by the hope in our future.
We want to thank our families. We can relate to what many of you have gone through in the last 15 months.
Many of us also have school-aged children, trying to help them learn remotely and manage their emotional well-being, as well as our own, while managing the responsibilities of work. The emotional ups and downs are real for our children and us parents. Your courageous and relentless love for your children helped us all navigate this difficult time.
We want to thank our greater community and educational partners. We know you choose to serve every day. Serving in this community is a gift that is filled with lots of pride, emotion and humility.
Together, we have developed relationships with a host of community partners and staff at all levels who care deeply about making life better for students.
Coming out of this pandemic, we must all think about how we’re going to keep working together to get better for our students. It will take all of us, as we are truly better together.
We want to thank all our staff and Board of Directors. Twenty-four hours a day and often seven days a week, your actions were steeped in a deep desire to serve our students and community.
Starting with this question, “What’s best for kids?”, you were here for every one of them, pushing yourselves, our collective TPS team and our partners to figure out how to get them the education, care and services they need to find personal success.
Although we may not all agree on solutions, TPS will continue to strive to support every student, every day. Your professionalism, grace and empathy are not lost on us. We are grateful that you are part of the Tacoma team.
Coming out of this COVID-19 pandemic, we’ve all learned a lot.
Here at TPS, we have learned that our history of rising to meet a wide range of challenges for nearly 30,000 students will allow us to succeed as we return in the fall. When we work together, from the living room to the Board Room, we can truly support the whole child.
We will be back to school in person full time in the fall and also offer Tacoma Online (TOL), our entirely virtual school for grades K-12. Families can choose the option that best meets their student’s needs.
We know the rules from the state and local health authorities have evolved throughout COVID. We will continue to monitor and communicate the most recent guidance to provide students and staff safe ways to learn and work.
For the future of the children we serve now — including those who struggle — our Tacoma team needs to be relentless to improve and provide additional, relevant supports.
Their world becomes more challenging every day, and we need to be better today than we were yesterday and better tomorrow than we were today. All of our lives depend on it.
We have learned through this crisis, no matter what, we can’t do this alone. Together we are better, we are one community, we are Tacoma.
Josh Garcia is superintendent of Tacoma Public Schools. The former TPS deputy superintendent came to Tacoma in 2012 from Federal Way Public Schools. His first day in the new post was Thursday.