Bainbridge Island School District recently decided to eschew plans to begin a gradual return to limited in-person schooling with the youngest grades, and will not come back until at least January. | Photo Courtesy of Pixabay
Bainbridge Island School District recently decided to eschew plans to begin a gradual return to limited in-person schooling with the youngest grades, and will not come back until at least January. | Photo Courtesy of Pixabay
Bainbridge Island School District recently walked back plans for gradually returning students to school, with any return for even the youngest, least vulnerable students delayed until at least January.
While the district did cite COVID-19 infections rates among the concerns that drove their decision to retreat from educating students in-person, Peter Bang-Knudsen, superintendent at Bainbridge, said that they also have a shortage of substitutes, according to coverage by the Kitsap Sun.
"Right now, we have enough substitute teachers to cover potential teacher absences if we brought back in-person learning for preschool, kindergarten and first grades," Bang-Knudsen was quoted as saying by the Kitsap Sun. "However, we are teetering on not having enough."
While the district is seeking substitutes and Bang-Knudsen feels they will eventually have as many substitutes as they need for all grades, he said "the process takes time," according to the Kitsap Sun.
"We need to work with our teachers to create a framework on what is possible," Bang-Knudsen was quoted as saying by the Kitsap Sun. "We also heard from many parents who wanted more specifics of what the school day will look like (both during in-person learning and the at-home learning portion of the day), and we will have a sample schedule to share with you soon."
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