Kids return to school part time

RITZVILLE – Kids are back on campus today.

Ritzville Grade School students getting off the bus Monday morning and waiting to be let into the building said they were happy to be back on campus, if only part time.

"I'm glad, other than having to wear this mask," Karsten Stokoe, heading into his fifth-grade classroom, said.

"2020 is the worst year ever," MaKenzie Quinn, another fifth-grader, said Monday morning.

Lind and Ritzville School Board members adopted changes at a special meeting last week, made to develop a phased-in return to the on-campus learning matrix.

"It's a more progressive, yet cautious, method of returning students to on-campus learning," Superintendent Don Vanderholm said Oct. 7. "All students have the opportunity to participate, in a limited basis, in on campus learning two hours per day, two times weekly in cohort groups of five or less."

The cohorts, or groups, won't be mixed during the day.

"We're already in the second week of phase 2 for kindergartners, and phase 2 begins this week for grades six through 12," Vanderholm said.

Two weeks later, if the school district remains Covid-free on campus, they will move on to stage 3. All K-5 students will then participate in a hybrid A-B mode, with half the students on campus one day and half the next.

Grades six to 12 will continue in the modified, A-B, two-hours per day, two times per week schedule.

"Assuming we continue for two more weeks with no on-campus Covid confirmed cases, everyone will move to stage 3.5," Vanderholm said. "Grades K-5 remain in the hybrid A-B, while six - 12 begins the hybrid A-B schedule for another two weeks."

In stage 4, two weeks after that with no on campus confirmed Covid cases, all K-5 will participate in a full-time, on campus learning schedule; with grades 6-12 participating in a hybrid A-B mode.

"I should say that on phase 3 schedule, the day will run from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. to accommodate the six-12 two hours a day, two times a week schedule, and once we get to stage 3.5, we would be at 8:30 a.m. to 3:15 p.m.," Vanderholm said.

"Students may still choose to remain in remote learning mode, or they may choose to have a customized distance learning model which fits them. Option A is tied to county local metrics. If you do not see it here, that's still in the back to school plan. And on-campus learning options can proceed at any time, according to option A, should the Covid case metrics numbers become lower.

"This modified option B really has to be governed by full compliance with all the health and safety guidelines. Any on campus confirmed Covid case will pause grade bands from moving to the next progression and could possibly even require a return to the previous stage. Although I hope that doesn't happen, this is put in place because we are still operating in local metrics that are over 200 cases per 100,000.

"That's been lowering. We were at 218 this week, so we're just going to hope it keeps coming down, but it still puts us over the 75 per 100,000 rate."

Vanderholm advised family members to continue to watch for communications around transportation issues, which are still being worked out.

Changes will also be coming to meal delivery services, with bus drivers being pulled back onto transporting students.