There are ten school districts in Klickitat County serving approximately 2,810 students. This school year, each district has navigated COVID-related requirements and has provided quality learning for students.
The Washington Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI), Governor Inslee’s office, the Washington Department of Health (DOH), Labor and Industries, and Klickitat County Health Department (KCHD) all have components of guidance and requirements that govern how our schools open. And, each school’s context is different.
The great news is that each district has successfully opened and are providing some form of in-person instruction. To-date, while each district has had positive cases of COVID in staff and students, no COVID spread has taken place within our schools.
Bickleton School District has been in typical/traditional in-person learning since August 24th. Traditional means all students receive instruction in-person, all day, every day of the school week. The district has used remote learning during school closures (air quality during fire season) and for students that were COVID positive or were in close contact with someone who was COVID positive. In a joint effort by the staff, students, parents and community we have had great success in staying in a traditional setting using the guidance and protocols set by OSPI and Klickitat County Health Department. Bickleton had to close enrollment to any new out-of-district students due to the six foot physical distancing requirement, but were able to accommodate all current students K – 12 allowing for traditional in-person learning. Bickleton School District has 110 students K – 12.
Centerville School District began the school year in a hybrid model for most students. As the year has progressed, more students have been allowed to attend full day. Some families have chosen to be fully remote and their wishes have been honored. Wednesdays have been used for extra support for students who request or need it. Maintaining six-foot social distancing has been challenging, but Centerville has creatively used the gym and cafeteria to provide additional learning spaces for students. A double-wide portable will be arriving after spring vacation to help alleviate this challenge. Administration and board members are thankful for parent and staff cooperation and support that has made reopening a success.
Glenwood School District is back in traditional, in-person school and has been this way most of the school year, this means all students, all day, everyday. There have been times where the district went to a full or partial remote learning. Glenwood School District has gone remote due to positive COVID tests in the school community and taken extra precautions between Thanksgiving and Christmas. Each of the students have a computer provided by the Glenwood School District. This allows administration and staff to transition seamlessly to remote learning if needed. Due to the small size of students and large facilities, all students have been safe and six-feet apart while attending school.
Goldendale School District started the school year in full-remote learning and transitioned to partial in-person for all students (hybrid) in October. The school year started with Family Orientation Meetings to ensure a connection between teachers and families and to provide support for technology. Each Goldendale student received a computing device. These devices are used, in hybrid, both at home and at school. GSD staff are implementing a variety of supports for student success including bringing small groups in on Wednesdays, parent engagement nights, after-school study groups, and deepening instruction through lesson design.
Klickitat School District’s teaching/learning model has included full remote learning for all students, partial day in-person instruction and a hybrid learning model. Currently, our students receive in-person instruction for four periods with tutoring, electives and physical education in remote learning. Based on the school’s classroom sizes and student population, it is able to accommodate 100 percent of its enrolled students on campus. With one-to-one computers for students, the district has the ability to transition to remote learning when needed.
Lyle School District students attend school on a hybrid schedule, due to the state’s six-foot distancing requirements. Students are expected to be “in class” daily. They do this by logging into Microsoft TEAMS-based classes on a district-provided laptop, whether they are at home or in the classroom. The district has also purchased Smart Boards for every classroom, enabling teachers to connect the students at home with the resources and activities in the on-site classroom.
Over the past six months, the school has intermittently increased and decreased the number of students in the school, based primarily on community COVID-19 activity. Parents have cooperated with requests to keep students at home learning remotely if the family traveled or gathered with others over the holidays. Currently, the youngest students attend school five days a week, while older students are on-site at least two days a week, except for those whose parents requested they remain in remote learning for the remainder of the year. After-school small group academic support is provided. Athletics practices have begun and, with the state’s move into Phase 2, games with other schools are scheduled to start soon.
Roosevelt School District is currently serving all students in-person, everyday. The district has employed multiple modes of instruction this year due to COVID-19 and has been fortunate to provide in-person learning for the majority of the year.
Trout Lake School District started the school year in full-remote learning and transitioned to half-day in-person for all students in October. Each K-12 Trout Lake student has received a Chromebook for instructional use. District staff are implementing a variety of supports for student success, including having some students receive small group or individual instruction after school.
White Salmon School District started the school year in full-remote learning and was able to transition into an in-person hybrid learning model for all students in February. The district developed a reopening plan at the beginning of the school year and continued to make adjustments needed to position us for bringing students back in-person. These plans were shared with families and staff. Chromebooks were provided to students along with technology support. The district started bringing students back for in-person learning using a phase-in model. Grades K-1 and 4 started the first week of February; grades 2-3 and 5-6 the second week; grades 7- 8 the third week; and grades 9-12 the fourth week. White Salomon staff started working with small groups of K-12 students after winter break and our after-school program provided additional support for students and families. The district continues to support students that want to continue remote learning.
Wishram School District has utilized several instructional methods throughout the COVID-19 pandemic thus far, ranging from 100 percent remote learning to in-person instruction. Currently all students are attending in-person four days per week, with Wednesday remaining a remote learning day to allow for additional sanitizing of our school facility. Due to the continued decrease of case numbers throughout Klickitat County over the last several weeks, the board of directors will consider returning to in-person instruction five days a week at the February 23rd board meeting. As a result of these difficult times, the district now has a one-to-one student to device ratio, and has embraced Google Classroom as the platform for instruction K-12. While administration and staff will be happy to leave some aspects of the pandemic behind when we reach the light at the end of the tunnel, actions like obtaining a Chromebook for every student and ensuring that each student has access to an active internet connection will only serve to support academic rigor and expectations. As a district, Wishram will continue to follow the data and guidance provided by local, state, and federal level health officials to make decisions that promote student, staff, and community safety as a top priority.
The week of February 22 is Public Schools Week and Klickitat County public schools are happy to serve your students. We are adapting quickly and we will continue to adapt as new guidance and regulations come forward. Thank you for your trust in us to provide high quality learning for your children.