Reopening FAQ 4.1.21

There is some misinformation circulating about TSD's response to the Governor's willingness to allow reduced social distancing. The following are some of the questions we have been getting and what we have been doing and are continuing to do to maximize in-person instruction. Our goal is and has always been to bring all students back to in-person instruction as quickly and safely as possible. While it may appear that nothing is going on to bring kids back, we have been very busy behind the scenes during the past two weeks in preparations.

Why isn't Toledo going back to school full time like so many other schools? I serve on the Health Dept. advisory workgroup with three other superintendents, Lewis County Public Health and physicians from NW Pediatrics. Because of our work, Lewis County is the most aggressive in the state in terms of return to in-person instruction. On March 17 in our meeting, Dr. Huang from the workgroup shared the research out of Massachusetts that indicated 3' was an acceptable safety margin. That day, Toledo began working on plans to increase in-person instruction in anticipation of a change in CDC guidance that came on March 19. The change from 6' to 3' gave us hope that we'd be able to return students to school in regular order. The Governor's announcement came on March 25- seven days ago. Our plans are nearly complete and will be shared with the board at a special meeting on April 5 at 6 p.m. so that they can make a decision about implementation of those plans.

Why has it taken so long to create these plans? The Governor's indication that schools can reopen with 3' of distance did not include the Washington Department of Health's guidance that staff must remain 6' away and that students must maintain 6' during meal times. This was a surprise to us and has forced us to adjust the plans that we were working on. In addition, we need to negotiate the impact of our plans with our labor unions. This also takes time. Finally, all of these plans have to be tested against all of the other systems (cleaning and disinfecting, transportation, food, athletics, activities) to be sure that the new plans won't create unintended consequences.

Some school districts like Kelso and Battle Ground are having students eat meals out of their laps in chairs or outside. Some have rented pavilion tents and patio heaters. We don't think it is right for our kids to eat out of their laps, so Toledo will be purchasing additional cafeteria tables and setting them up outdoors in the covered play areas at TES and TMS. At THS, we will be getting the new cafeteria tables early (May 16) and renting a pavilion tent so that distance can be maintained. If conditions indicate, we are prepared to provide patio heaters as well.

We will need to order furniture to allow us to reconfigure classrooms to support more students and maximize space. Delivery of this furniture will take some time and will need to be assembled. We will be calling on our community to help us with this effort as our maintenance and operations staff is already stretched thin.

Why can't we return 5 days each week? We have students who are choosing to learn remotely due to health and safety concerns. We also have students who are exposed to COVID and need to quarantine for two weeks. Serving these students requires teachers to prepare and deliver lessons for a week at a time. Those preparations are done on Fridays. We will continue to have Friday remote days for the remainder of this school year. Next  year, students will need to be on campus and we will have 5-days of  in-person learning. 

When will kids start coming back full time? Grades 9-12 have been in school full time (4 days) since March 1. We will be announcing firm dates when we've completed our plans and the board has approved them. Our goal is to return students before the end of the month. 

Why won't you let kids come back to school right now? We have an obligation to our students, families, staff and community to provide the best and safest educational experiences possible. We take pride in our ability to maximize in-person instruction and we will be returning kids to more in-person instruction when we have properly planned and arranged for that to happen. We want to do this right, not just right now.

Toledo has always been very thoughtful and deliberate in our planning.  This is why we haven't had to close our schools due to a COVID outbreak. This is why 90% of our students receive some in-person instruction every day while the state average is 51%. When we put this new plan in place, we don't want to have to backtrack because we missed a step or we have an outbreak.

Chris Rust

Superintendent

School Operations Update

 Governor's Message 3.25.21

Yesterday, Governor Inslee made optional for schools the continuation of the 6' physical distance requirement. He allowed us to reduce the physical distance to 3' in schools for students. The requirement remains 6' for adults and also at times when people aren't masked (i.e. lunch). This creates opportunities for us to return in regular order, but it also has potential problems. Our team has been considering the implications for TSD since the CDC changed their guidance last week. As we moved into this pandemic, we did so deliberately and thoughtfully to create safe spaces for students and to continue instruction and services safely and effectively for all. We've been moving toward regular order since November with the same deliberation and planning. 

While we can have additional children in most classrooms, there are some classes that won't accommodate all even with 3' spacing. Lunch and transportation are areas that we need to give a  lot of thought to in order for them to comply and be safe. Many of the children who have been served remotely have felt comfortable returning to class in-person. We're concerned that this might cause them to return to remote instruction. Finally, we're looking at the science behind this change. Is this supported by science or was this a politically-motivated decision. We're balancing all of this with the social-emotional welfare of our students at the forefront of our thinking. As with everything this year, it is complicated and there are many points of view to consider as we make our plans. 

For a comparison of what is happening in other schools and districts, go to https://www.k12.wa.us/about-ospi/press-releases/novel-coronavirus-covid-19-guidance-resources/school-reopening-data. Currently, Toledo serves 90% of students with some in-person instruction. The state average is 51%.

For now, our operations remain unchanged. Conferences will be coming next week. If you don't have your appointment already, please consult your child's teacher. Each school has a slightly different conference schedule, so you'll need to pay close attention to communications from your child's school.

Spring break begins on April 5. Meals will be available for pick up at TES. Check our website for more information.

Update 3.12.21

 Phase 3

All Washington counties are currently in phase 2. Governor Inslee has authorized movement to phase 3 on Monday March 17. This has no impact on school operations, but it does relax restrictions on spectators at athletic events. If you have questions about these changes, please consult your child's coach or contact our Athletic Director, Grady Fallon.

This change also means that the Class of 2021 will have a proper Commencement ceremony.

Until the 6' social distance regulation is relaxed, our schools are operating at capacity. We will need to have the 6' regulation reduced to 2' in order to return in regular order.

Vaccines

As of this writing, all TSD employees who have elected to be vaccinated have been able to get vaccinated or have an appointment this weekend. Thanks to members of our community and the cooperation of Valley View Health Clinics, we have been successful in getting vaccines. 

Students who are 16 or older and at risk for complications from COVID are also eligible now to be vaccinated. We're getting the word our to families of these students so that they can consider this option for their children.

Please continue to practice masking, distance and hand washing so that we can continue to beat this virus. With everyone's help, we'll be back to regular order in the fall.

Update 2.26.21

 Lewis County Metrics

All regions of the state are in phase 2 until  further notice.

School Operations

TES continues to operate on a half-day for each student at every grade. 

TMS continues with a hybrid schedule for 7th and 8th grades on alternate days and half of 6th grade alternating.

THS is able to serve all students on campus thanks to the additional space created with new classrooms.

Cowlitz Prairie Academy continues in their regular operational mode.

Approximately 10% of our students are electing to continue in remote instruction only. All students are remote only on Fridays. Until the need for physical distancing is relaxed, we will continue in this manner.

Conferences

We are in the process of developing a conference schedule for TES, TMS and THS. We are planning conferences for parents and teachers on Tuesday and Thursday March 30 and April 1. Watch for specific times from your school.

Commencement for the Class of 2021

As long as we remain in phase 2, we are planning on holding Commencement in person this June. We are allowed to have a total of 200 people in attendance including graduates, staff, board and guests. We estimate that each graduate will receive two tickets. We will be live streaming the event and recording it for everyone who cannot be in attendance in person. We are still sorting out the details, but we are committed to providing an in-person Commencement for our graduates.

2.19.21 Update

 Lewis County Metrics

These metrics will change every two weeks. Note that all regions of the state are in phase 2 and the West region (Lewis County) is meeting all four goal areas. This is great news for continuing on the path to regular order.

School Operations

On Feb. 26 and Mar. 19, our staff will pause instruction and work with students and families to spend some time on self-care. These will be remote-only learning days for all students. Since these are Fridays, this will only be a change for a few students.

Transportation

We are currently transporting fewer students over more miles and for longer durations than during a typical year. We're doing this to accommodate our hybrid scheduling and to provide separation of students on busses. Each bus has 8 different routes and when a student decides to return to in-person instruction from remote-only, it changes all of the routes for that bus. In order to minimize the disruption to all families on a route, we have been working to find stops that will accommodate many students and that won't change frequently. This may mean that your child won't be picked up at your driveway and may need to catch the bus further away from home.  This is not being done to save money. In fact, we are spending much more to transport students this year than at any time in our history. Decisions about stops and routes are being made to best serve the most students and families in the district. For questions about your stop or route, please contact Don Hall at 360.864.2393 during business hours. If you call during route times, he'll need to call you back as he is currently driving a route.

Board Meetings

The Governor is allowing in-person meetings to take place in phase 2. The board decided to return to in-person meetings beginning with the March 18 meeting. We are allowed to have up to 25% of the room capacity for these meetings and plan to hold board meetings in the Commons at TMS to maximize the number of people who can attend. Regular board meetings begin at 7 p.m.

EP&O Levy

Our thanks go out to the voters of our community for your support of the levy. Results were certified today. This means that when we come back to regular order next year, we will be able to fund all of the staff and programs that our community has come to expect from the school district. These are difficult financial times for many people in our community and made this vote more difficult. We appreciate that in spite of those difficulties, the majority of our voters felt it was worth it. 

2.12.21 Update

 Lewis County Metrics

Good news continues as the West region remains in phase 2. The trend in case rates is declining and we  have solid phase 2 statistics. This means that athletics and other events can continue with precautions. By continuing to mask, wash and stay away from each other, we're making good progress. Next step is to get vaccinated as soon as possible.

School Operations

With a few minor exceptions, the way that our schools are operating is what families can expect through the remainder of this school year. We continue to welcome students back to the classroom from full remote instruction as families become more comfortable with our operations and precautions. As work continues on the new high school, students and staff will begin to occupy more of the new spaces. This will allow additional distancing as well as improved ventilation. Access to the remainder of the new spaces is expected to continue through April 12.

ACT Days (Late Start Mondays)

Given the current state of school operations, I determined that ACT days were not practical for families or staff. As a result, we are discontinuing ACT days for the remainder of the 2020-21 school year. These days will be included in the 2021-22 school calendar as they are important blocks of time for staff to train, collaborate and prepare.

We have arranged for a self-care seminar for all of our employees and will be doing that work on two remote learning Fridays. The first of these will be on February 26. We are arranging for the second session and will announce it later. This is time for our staff to develop plans to take care of their personal health and well-being. Just as those who work in the woods stop from time to time to sharpen their chainsaws, educators need to stop from time to time to sharpen themselves. These are some of those times.

Updates

There will be less to report in this blog as the year progresses. Beginning this week, I will be updating this as changes occur. For up-to-date information, please see our Facebook page or website or contact your school or the district office at 360.864.6325.

Update 2.5.21

 Lewis County Metrics

Metrics are updated every two weeks now under the Healthy Washington plan. Next update will come on Feb. 12, 2021 and will let us know whether we get to continue in phase 2 or go back to phase 1. Keep your masks on, your hands washed and stay away from each other.

School Operations

THS began full operations in-person on Monday. Attendance will be Monday through Thursday for all schools. Until we're given authority to return to regular order- meaning no longer needing to maintain 6 feet of separation- there is no additional relaxation of schedule planned. All students and staff should expect to maintain this schedule for the foreseeable future.

THS remains a construction zone with the exception of the new classroom wing. All visitors are reminded to check in at the main office in the old portion of the school prior to entering the new wing. This is for security and screening purposes. Unless people have business to conduct, we ask that visitors not come to the building so that we can maintain safety and health protocols and not crowd parking and the construction zone.

Transportation

Families should be aware that, while we have had only one driver required to quarantine as a close contact, if we have two or more drivers required to quarantine, the District will need to implement reduced routing and may not be able to transport all students. Just as we have snow and flood routes, we are working to develop driver shortage routes should those become necessary.

The driver shortage is having an impact on our ability to continue to serve all of the families in our district. We ask that you consider driving if you are looking for part time work that pays $20+/hour and includes benefits. We need at least 3 more drivers in order to be able to return to a single  start time for all schools without lengthy routes and overcrowded busses.

Levy

Tuesday is election day and we remind you that Toledo School District is asking voters whether to continue local support for programs and operations at the same level as in 2015. For a full description of what is on the measure, go to this link. This levy pays for staff, athletics, maintenance and repairs. It also makes sure that the district can respond to unexpected situations (like pandemics).