COVID-19 has placed many obstacles in the path of students’ academic success.

Mandi Rehn is in her ninth year as principal at Opportunity Elementary in Spokane Valley and transitioning to a new job in the Central Valley School District main office. As she juggles both jobs, she was just named the Washington State Elementary Principal of the Year by the Association of Washington School Principals.

The reimposition of a mask mandate this week in North Idaho will mean little for students in two of its largest school districts, because Coeur d’Alene already requires them and Lakeland has no plans to do so.

The leadership of Spokane Public Schools got it from both sides this week over the pace of its move to bring children back to in-person learning.

Vicki Leifer, who first came to the West Valley School District in 2008 as a high school science teacher, took over the job of assistant superintendent of the district on July 1. It puts her in the unique position of having only worked for one school district.

Lucy the golden retriever couldn’t care less about masks and social-distancing protocols.

OLDTOWN, Idaho – Masked kindergartners lined up Monday morning carrying shoe boxes and wearing “shiny” new snow boots at Idaho Hill Elementary School.

Now more than ever, it takes a lot of patience to be a special education teacher.

AThe greenhouse near Riverside High School, which has been dormant for more than a decade, is having new life breathed into it thanks to a capital levy approved by voters in 2018.

It’s an annual tradition for the students at Central Valley High School to do a November food drive to benefit Spokane Valley Partners.

Lesley Dalke’s classroom at West Valley High School is empty. The ovens aren’t turning out batches of muffins, the mixers sit unused, and no inviting smells waft through the air. Teaching high school classes is a challenge for any teacher, but Dalke has a new struggle.

School districts will begin phasing in the new requirements in the 2021-2022 school year, but for opponents of the bill, the fight is still not over. 

The construction site at Shaw Middle School is a place of wonder.

Despite the tumult at the Spokane Regional Health District and an uptick in positive COVID-19 tests in many schools, Spokane Public Schools is poised to take the next step in its reopening plan by bringing more students back to buildings.