Kitsap County schools have decided to use distance learning for the first nine weeks of the school year. The state Department of Health released disease level guidelines that will determine when it is safe for students to return to in-person learning. | Pixabay
Kitsap County schools have decided to use distance learning for the first nine weeks of the school year. The state Department of Health released disease level guidelines that will determine when it is safe for students to return to in-person learning. | Pixabay
The Washington Department of Health has released guidelines for returning to traditional in-person learning for students.
The threshold for full-time in-person learning for elementary students and hybrid learning for middle and high school students is 25 COVID-19 cases per 100,000 people in a 14-day period.
At the moderate disease activity level, 25 to 75 cases per 100,000, distance learning is highly recommended, but districts can consider in-person learning for elementary students. At high levels of disease activity, distance learning is strongly recommended with limited in-person exceptions for students with disabilities or special needs.
Strategies districts can employ to protect students, teachers and staff from the spread of coronavirus include cohorting students, practicing social distancing, promoting frequent hand washing and using face coverings.
There are currently only six counties in Washington that meet the 25 cases per 100,000 threshold. Kitsap County schools have decided to delay in-person instruction for the first nine weeks of the school year. Disease activity in the county is higher than what was reported from mid-March to mid-June.
"There aren't any zero-risk solutions to reopening schools," Dan Klein, senior research manager for Institute for Disease Modeling, told Kitsap Daily News.
Once community transmission slows, which has been up in Kitsap County since mid-June, districts will be able to take a closer look at having students return to campus.
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