SNOHOMISH — The Snohomish School District has set a date for the first wave of students returning to classrooms. Abiding by county Health District guidelines, the school district is planning for kindergarten through second grade to return Monday, Oct. 26.
The date was announced at the school board meeting Sept. 23, where Superintendent Kent Kultgen presented a plan-in-progress to return students safely.
Kultgen explained that many details of the plan for return will be finalized once the district knows the total number of students that will be returning to campus. In order to properly prepare for social distancing and develop a protocol, the district needs to know how many students to prepare for.
Beginning Wednesday, Sept. 30, families will be able to choose what learning option their child will use for the remainder of the semester. The poll form is available on Skyward Family Access, a parent web portal provided through the school district.
A community letter from Kultgen states more information regarding the form will be available in the coming days. To help families make the decision, a virtual town hall meeting will be held Sept. 29, presenting the necessary information to ensure the right option is chosen for students and families.
“If we can do it safely, let’s get kids back in schools,” Kultgen said.
K through 2 students can return to schools in a full-time learning model following social distancing protocol and requiring a mask. According to Kultgen, students will be in “cohorts” separated by grade level. Kultgen stated the idea is to keep students interacting with a smaller group at lunch, recess and using the bathroom.
Third through sixth-grade students are scheduled to return mid to late November. A specific date has not been set due to the fact the plan is subject to change. Kultgen said that a lot can happen between now and then, but the return for third through sixth grade is on the horizon.
“Our No. 1 concern is safety,” Kultgen said.
Monroe and Everett
The Monroe and Everett school districts are also compiling plans for returning to school. Everett School District communications director Kathy Reeves said the district is in the process of creating a plan but didn’t have additional information to share as of Sept. 23.
The Monroe School District will release initial information this week, according to district spokeswoman Tamara Krache.
Update: The Monroe School District released information to parents on Monday evening after press time.
