SEATTLE — The Seattle Education Association (SEA) approved a Memorandum of Understanding with Seattle Public Schools, which will allow the district to move forward with reopening classrooms to more students.
According to the teachers union, the agreement expands instructional choices to offer remote and in-person students in pre-K through fifth grade, as well as students in Special Education Intensive Service Pathways.
“We listened to our community and brought concerns we heard from them to the bargaining table,” said SEA President Jennifer Matter. “We are grateful for our community members’ collaboration, and for our bargaining team’s dedication to making this happen.”
The approved agreement ensures remote learning will continue for those who choose it. There is also a commitment to keep as many students as possible with their current teacher, adequate leave for quarantining, and clear indications that each workspace meets health and safety standards.
The SEA's secondary bargaining team is negotiating an instructional model for students in sixth through 12 grade.
Gov. Jay Inslee announced all Washington students must be offered some form of in-person learning by April 19. For kindergarten through sixth-grade students, that deadline is April 5. All older students must have an in-person learning option by April 19.
Teachers and the district have been sparring over health and safety on the path to bringing more students back to in-person learning. Seattle Public Schools was one of 35 that did not hit a March 1 deadline to demonstrate it has further its plan to bring more students back.
All pre-school students and students enrolled in Special Education Intensive Service Pathways are set to return March 29. Followed by all other kindergarten to fifth grade students, and the remainder of students enrolled in Special Education Intensive Service Pathways on April 5.
According to a March 26 update on Facebook from Seattle Public Schools, students will be in cohorts of 15 or fewer, staying together throughout the day.
Masks will be required for all students and staff, with the exception of a "small group" of students unable to wear masks. For those students, the district has implemented additional safety measures such as plexiglass dividers and additional PPE for staff.