Return to School FAQ

In this model, students will continue to participate in online learning five (5) days per week in much the same way they are currently experiencing instruction. Online instruction will be provided on a regular schedule with “synchronous” or live instruction, video lessons, and/or small group interaction four days per week, and a day of fully asynchronous instruction. The fully remote option will also continue to include “asynchronous” learning throughout the week, where students will have content and the flexibility to work independently each day of the week with family support. 

The District has been actively engaged in planning for both remote and in-person learning. On July 23, Superintendent Holmen communicated a commitment to begin the process of transitioning students back for in-person learning when conditions allowed and under the recommendation of King County Public Health. At that time, the District made an intentional decision to keep students with the teacher from their neighborhood school for remote learning. This allowed families to postpone decision making about participating in full remote or in-person learning. This also shifted the decision and change to later in the year. There were complexities with both scenarios, and the option was selected to wait and provide families the opportunity to make their decision closer to the point of implementation. 

Additionally, the district has a thorough COVID-19 Safety Plan which is available for families to review. The COVID-19 Safety Plan outlines the processes and procedures required to implement in-person learning. Further District planning information and documentation is also available on the Return to School Task Force webpage.

In order for the District to offer remote and in-person teaching and learning, we will need to align current staff with these models. Earlier data collection indicated that about 10-20% of families may request to maintain a full-remote school experience. Students will make these requests from across the district requiring some level of shifting to occur. We also know that a percent of our staff qualifies as high or increased risk per the Center for Disease Control (CDC) guidelines. These staff will be prioritized to teach remote classes. In addition to the variables related to the Remote Academy, the District must also implement required safety measures for in-person learning which also has staffing implications. The Remote Academy provides families with the option to have stability for the remainder of the school year. We recognize the unique challenges with making shifts after the school year has started.

At the kindergarten level, we are currently evaluating multiple models of in-person learning for kindergarten such as:  

• 5 day a week in-person learning
• 4 day a week in-person learning 
• 4 or 5 half-days of in-person instruction 

In person academic, social and emotional instruction will be similar in many ways to pre-COVID closures. 

Differences will include: 

Health and Safety:

• An emphasis on health and safety routines and procedures including time for handwashing. Allocating time during the day for additional required health screening, hygiene, teaching and reinforcing new procedures for interpersonal interactions, staggered transitions, etc.   
• Routines and procedures for lunch and recess to incorporate required health and safety measures.
• Daily attestation and health screening prior to entry into the school.
• Six-feet physical distancing of desks in classrooms.
• Maintenance of six-feet physical distancing during non-classroom time to the greatest extent possible.
• Masking for all students and staff.

Social Contact:

• Physical distancing during social interactions will require fewer close interpersonal interactions with peers and teachers such as limitations on recess and passing periods, staggered schedules and small groupings for lunches.   

Academics:

• Continuing to emphasize essential content in the core academic subject areas as we are doing for remote instruction. 
• High probability that students will have some asynchronous learning as part of in-person learning.
• Allocating time during the day for health screening, hygiene, teaching and reinforcing new procedures for interpersonal interactions, staggered transitions, etc.   
• An emphasis on health and safety routines and procedures including time for handwashing, how to socially distance during the day, expectations for lunch and recess, etc. 
• Specialists including librarians, music, PE teachers, and some special education and English language teachers potentially providing services remotely even for students who are in-person to allow us to keep classroom groups in clusters and reduce contact between groups 
• Extra attention will also be needed for the use of instructional materials such as textbooks, classroom and student technology, curriculum tools, writing tools, pencil sharpeners, etc. and students will need to learn new procedures for the use and care of these materials.   

Drop-off and Pick up:

• Students will not congregate for small group/close contact social interactions during drop-off and pick up. Staff will monitor and remind students of the requirement to maintain six-feet physical distancing to the greatest extent possible.
• Students and staff will mask during drop-off and pick up.
• Depending on traffic flow, pick and drop off schedules may also need to be adjusted, further impacting instructional time.   
• Extra attention will also be needed for the use of instructional materials such as textbooks, classroom and student technology, curriculum tools, writing tools, pencil sharpeners, etc. and students will need to learn new procedures for the use and care of these materials.   
• Specialists including librarians, music, PE teachers, and some special education and English language teachers potentially providing services remotely even for students who are in-person to allow us to keep classroom groups in clusters and reduce contact between groups.
• To be able to keep students distanced, even in individual classrooms, we are working to keep kindergarten classes to approximately 16 students per class. 

At the first-grade level, we are evaluating multiple models of in-person learning for first grade such as: 

• Hybrid instruction where students receive in-person instruction two days per week and remote instruction three days per week 
• 5 day per week in-person learning 
• 4 day per week in-person learning 

The reason for this is our ability to provide enough teachers to keep first grade class sizes small enough to keep students physically distanced in classrooms. In addition, the differences between in-person before and during COVID described in the kindergarten section above also apply to first grade. 

In a hybrid schedule, half of the students in a class attend school two days per week and the other half attend on two other days. All students participate in remote learning three days per week. Two examples of hybrid schedules are shown below.

Currently, the District has targeted the transition of Kindergarten to occur in October. First grade will transition soon after Kindergarten. Kindergarten students will transition to their new remote or in-person classes at the same time. That date will be communicated after an analysis of student and staff data.

We will not have fully-remote choice school or program experiences because we do not anticipate that we will have the staffing and ability to serve all students requesting remote learning. 

Students who participate in fully remote learning will be able to return to the choice school in which they are currently enrolled during for the 2021-22 school year unless the student is in a grade level that would transition to a new school for the following year.

The survey is in Family Access. Once you login to Family Access you will see an Online Forms option on the left menu. Detailed directions on how to fill the form out are below:

Instructions for filling out K-1 survey | Español

There are two documents that provide significant detail regarding the re-introduction to in-person learning. Many questions can be answered by reviewing the COVID-19 Safety Plan and the LWSD Return to School Workbook 2020. Both of these documents take multiple agency requirements to provide clarity regarding processes and procedures for in-person learning. These are being implemented at multiple LWSD sites that are hosting our highest needs students that receive special education services. Additionally, families may be interested in the response protocol document that, while incorporated into the LWSD COVID19 Safety Plan, provides a focus on how districts are required to respond to an active COVID case. The COVID-19 Response Toolkit was provided by King County Public Health on August 27.

(added 9/25/2020)

As a system, we must focus on multiple factors as we plan for our approach to bringing back students for in-person learning. We have to consider the long-term implications of our decision regarding kindergarten on the ability for 1^st-5^th grade students to also have the opportunity for some in-person learning. For example, if we select a model today that provided 4 days per week of in-person learning, that will require us to ensure we had classroom space for each Kindergarten student. The primary variable that will drive this implementation is the requirement to distance desk seating in classrooms at six feet. The required distancing limits the number of students per classroom well below current class size averages which would add additional classrooms. The District has very limited extra classrooms to accommodate a model that significantly expands a single grade level. By using more classrooms than are typically allocated for a grade level will cause other students to have limited in-person learning this school year. By leading our final decision making with data we can make plans that provide longer term benefit for our student body.

(added 9/25/2020)

We will provide families with a "request" process to change from “remote to in-person” or from "in-person to remote." In order to consider and accommodate requests to the greatest extent possible there will need to be space in a classroom (virtual or in person). Finding space in a remote classroom is significantly simpler than a in person classroom. For students requesting in-person placement we will need to follow a progressive analysis of the school and region given our stringent requirements for distancing in classrooms which dictates class sizes. The process will require the District to respond by answering the following questions in sequential order:

1. Is there space at the neighborhood school?
2. Is there space at a local school?
3. Do we need to open a new classroom regionally given the number of requests? 

Each of these options can be potentially accomplished but will require evaluation and clear communication between schools and the central office.

(added 9/25/2020)

Aligning students with their current classroom teacher is a goal throughout this process as it provides consistency of services and relationship. We know there will be students, and possibly high numbers of students, that will need to change teachers. After finalizing the staff and student data, we will be able to begin the process of assigning students to classrooms with the goal of alignment with current teacher but knowing that will not be possible for 100% of students. Please note, the option to request a change between remote and in-person learning due to factors such as not getting a preferred teacher or because the model is not what was hoped for will be extremely limited and possibly not available for a number of weeks after the change.

(added 9/25/2020)

With the release of the Decision Tree by the State Department of Health in August, LWSD was listed as a high-risk district given the transmission of COVID. Three weeks ago, transmission levels shifted and placed us as a moderate-risk district. Those levels have continued to decline over the last three weeks with the current rate of 51 cases per 100,000 King County residents over the last 14 days. Moderate ranges from 25-75 cases placing us in the middle of that range. If these numbers start to climb to where we are a high-risk district again, we will work with King County Public Health and possibly be advised to return to remote learning. If this were to occur after implementation of in-person learning, students would remain with their teacher and learn remotely until conditions were such that the class could return to in-person teaching and learning.

(added 9/25/2020)

We will adhere to strict protocols related to all individuals entering our buildings. It is important to note that “exposure” is defined as close contact. Close contact has three criteria:

1. Within six feet,
2. Duration of 15 minutes, and
3. Indoors

If anyone is within close contact of an individual that is positive for COVID, that individual or family would be notified. We would work with Public Health to determine shutting down a classroom and/or school. The process in the COVID-19 Safety Plan ultimately directs us to engage with public health since every situation has unique variables. This is their direction and is outlined in their COVID-19 Response Toolkit for school response which was provided on August 27.

(added 9/25/2020)

If there were to be community-wide transmission that required schools to shut down, students would remain with their teacher of record. This means, if a student shifts to in-person learning and we needed to close schools for in-person learning, that set of students will remain with their teacher and shift to remote teaching and learning. Our intent is to not continually shift students between teachers throughout the year.

(added 9/25/2020)

Yes, Running Start programs are still available through local area community colleges. Students in LWSD that are juniors or seniors are eligible for Running Start. There is a process required including work with their school counselor. We have been reaching out to local Running Start colleges to check on the requirements for a high school counselor signature on applications, as counselors will not be available until later in August. Cascadia College will accept applications now and they can be signed by counselors when they return. Check out the High School Highly Capable page of our website, and click on “Running Start” for more information and updates as we have them.

Updated: July 31, 2020

We are working with our teachers to develop lessons that can be delivered remotely for courses that have more hands-on experiences. We'll have more information to share about these later in August.

Updated: July 31, 2020

AP courses will follow the units of study as outlined on the CollegeBoard Dashboard available to all AP students and teachers. Assessments are embedded into the Dashboard and will be used in addition to teacher-created assessments. We are working with our teachers on ways to provide remote course content and experiences that are “hands-on” such as science lab experiences. Our teachers will have more information to share at the start of the year.

Updated: July 31, 2020

LWSD is committed to providing a district laptop to all students for remote instruction. A parent or guardian does have the choice of opting out from checking out the district laptop if they have a preferred device already available for their child’s schoolwork that better meets their personal circumstances. Please note that experiences on LWSD student laptops may at times offer additional resources or closer alignment of software experiences between teacher and student.  Schools will notify families of laptop check out dates starting mid August with a goal to distribute all technology before school starts.

Technical support is being enhanced with expanded hours and more technical staff to answer phone calls and respond to emails to assist families.

Short parent/student training tutorials for Microsoft Classroom Teams will be posted before school starts.

Updated: July 31, 2020

We are working with EL teachers and EL families to develop remote learning options that involve synchronous and asynchronous learning opportunities based on each students’ language level. We know that the teacher relationships with students and families are critical to the success of each student therefore the initial focus will be on supporting families to ensure all students have access to virtual learning. Students will also have access to Rosetta Stone, an online adaptive tool to support foundational English language supports.

Updated: July 31, 2020

LWSD will not be offering interscholastic athletics this fall at the middle school or high school level. 

On July 28, the Washington Interscholastic Activities Association (WIAA) announced modifications to the 2020-21 sports season schedule due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The high school sports calendar will move from a three-season model to a four-season model. This schedule will move the official seasons for the fall sports of Football, Girls’ Soccer, Volleyball, Cross Country, Girls’ Swim/Dive, Slowpitch Softball, Boys’ Golf and Boys’ Tennis to spring (Season 3). You can see the new high school sports schedule here.
 
Middle School sports seasons will be determined at a later date.

Should King County move in to Phase 3 we will look to provide conditioning opportunities for our student athletes consistent with Phase 3 requirements.
 
We will continue to operate under these guiding principles:

Engage students with school via athletics/activities.

• Make connections to promote well-being.
• Provide healthy options for exercise.
• Minimize risk.

Updated August 4, 2020