Good morning Skamania families,
COVID-19 cases are rising in our area, just as they are around the state, country and world. Some of you may know that the Stevenson-Carson School District board voted last night to return immediately to fully remote learning due to the increased number of COVID cases in Skamania County.
I wanted to let you know that after discussions with the Skamania County Community Health Department and our own school board, Skamania School will continue with our current model of hybrid, small-group, in-person learning with preventative measures, such as masks and physical distancing. At our next board meeting on December 14, we will decide about the next steps. This may include returning to fully remote learning after winter vacation until virus numbers drop to a lower level.
This decision has not been taken lightly. While cases continue to rise in Skamania County, there are still very few cases in schools. Our younger students have less of a chance of spreading the virus than older students. Our small size is also an advantage for continuing in-person learning. We average about 38 students and 17 staff on-site four days a week, while SCSD has around 500 students plus staff on-site each day.
We will continue to follow all health precautions, as we have been, while students and staff are on-site. Our hybrid model with Wednesdays as remote days means that Skamania School is able to transition to fully remote learning quickly, if there is a need to do so. The goal, however, is to keep students learning in person as long as it is safe.
We also know that each family situation is different, so if you wish to keep your child or children home and participate in learning remotely full time, please let Amber in the office know. Feel free to reach out to me if you have questions at rpruitt@skamania.k12.wa.us.
Thank you,
Dr. Ralph Pruitt, Superintendent
Skamania School District