Rising coronavirus cases are making it more difficult for Washington schools to return students to their classrooms.
The Central Kitsap School District announced Friday it will delay plans to bring preschool, kindergarten, and first-grade students back to in-person learning, which was supposed to happen next Monday, Nov. 9.
"Our schools were eager to finally welcome their youngest learners in person. We know our families, too, have already made adjustments to their schedules. And our students were excited to see their teachers and classmates in person. We are sorry,” Superintendent Erin Prince wrote to families.
The district said pausing plans for in-person learning is the safest choice for schools and the community.
“We will meet with the Kitsap County Health District again next week to further evaluate our reentry plans and timeline,” Prince said.
A new study that examined King County schools found that coronavirus transmission can be greatly reduced through countermeasures like distancing and masking, combined with a hybrid schedule that mixes at-home and classroom learning.
“One thing that's reassuring in our data is that we're not seeing large explosive outbreaks when COVID-19 is introduced into the school and we think this is because of all of the safety measures that are in place,” said Dr. Kathy Lofy, Washington State Health Officer.
Lofy said fully reopening schools is heavily dependent on reducing the spread of COVID-19 outside of classrooms and, right now, the state is headed in the wrong direction.
“We are really in... what may likely be some of the hardest months of our pandemic,” she said.
