SEATTLE (AP) - The Seattle school board on Wednesday unanimously voted to begin the academic year remotely.
The plan for the state’s largest school district passed with a wide-ranging amendment that directs the superintendent to explore creating outdoor classes, and also reinforces teaching of Black studies and curricula developed by tribes, The Seattle Times reported.
Seattle Public Schools Superintendent Denise Juneau had previously recommended a fully remote learning model for the start of the school year, which was endorsed by the principals labor union and teachers union.
However, the district’s specific plans are far from set because Seattle Public Schools is still bargaining with the teachers union, the Seattle Education Association. Those discussions will set the parameters for how teachers spend their time, and for the support the district will provide to teachers and families in an online learning environment.
The negotiations will also play a key role in setting student schedules and the school calendar, which has a current start date of Sept. 2.
“Putting these plans together before the end of collective bargaining seems like putting the cart before the horse,” board member Leslie Harris said Wednesday.
A presentation last week set the general schooling parameters. Students will spend approximately three hours a day on video chat, no F grades will be given, schools will have relaxed rules on late work, and some special education students may be eligible for in-person instruction.
The district also said child care will be available at 68 sites owned by the district and that 25 more sites for meal distribution would be added, for a total of 40. Tech support will be expanded and every student will have a device sometime in the fall, but not by the first day of school, according to the district.
Similar plans to start remotely have emerged across the state, with the exception of a few small communities. Health officials in all of Washington state’s top 10 most populous counties have advised against reopening school buildings for in-person instruction.
Seattle Public Schools moved largely online after it shut all buildings March 12 because of the coronavirus outbreak.
The state Department of Health on Wednesday reported 555 additional COVID-19 cases, bringing the total to more than 64,700 cases and at least 1,724 deaths.
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