Kindergartners return to Spokane schools

Beginning what Superintendent Adam Swinyard called a “slow and methodical” return to in-person learning, Spokane Public Schools will bring kindergartners back to school this week.

The district’s youngest learners will arrive by car, bus and foot by 8:30 a.m. at all 34 elementary schools. Of those whose parents chose in-person learning, half will attend on Wednesday and the rest on Thursday.

The alternating schedule will continue through the end of next week, with full in-person learning for all kindergartners available beginning Oct. 19.

While local COVID-19 infection rates rose last weekend, district spokesperson Sandra Jarrard said Tuesday that the district only has two confirmed positive cases. Both were staff members.

The district expects to post a COVID-19 dashboard on Friday and update it weekly, Swinyard said.

During simultaneous board meetings held Sept. 23, the Spokane, Central Valley and West Valley districts voted to take the first steps toward in-person learning.

The three districts have about 50,000 students overall and about 4,000 kindergartners. Except for a few special-needs students, all three began the year with distance-learning only.

That was in deference to guidance from Dr. Bob Lutz and Spokane Regional Health District, which in early August strongly recommended that students learn from home until COVID-19 infection rates and other metrics drop to acceptable levels.

Lutz approved the back-to-school plans ahead of the Sept. 23 meetings.

“We feel confident in the plans these school districts have developed for a safe return to in-person learning,” Lutz said at the time.

The next step – adding first-graders and other students – will depend on county metrics as well as the district’s ability to keep students safe.

“I’m really happy with those low numbers more than anything else,” Haynes said.

Meanwhile, the Mead School District reported Monday night that a staff member at Mead High School has tested positive for coronavirus.

That will force the school’s administrative team to quarantine for 14 days, Principal Jeff Naslund said in a letter to parents.

“We are still investigating where exposure has occurred via the contract tracing protocol,” Naslund wrote. “Through the contact tracing, close contacts with the individual who tested positive will be notified of their need to quarantine.

“We are following these protocols out of an abundance of caution.”

Also on Monday, the Post Falls School District board of directors voted to move its operations color from “orange” to “yellow,” meaning that beginning on Monday, all students may attend classes five days a week.

All students will still be required to wear masks.