Dear Parents,

Yesterday, Governor Inslee shared updated guidance and metrics from the state Department of Health regarding the in-person learning for school districts across the state. The guidance now allows for more students to receive in-person education, even when COVID-19 activity levels are high. After consulting with the Skamania Public Health Department and our Skamania School Board regarding these new metrics, I am pleased to let you know that we do not need to reduce student time for in-person learning, as we had originally planned.

Based on the new metrics, the Skamania Public Health Department and the school board both approved maintaining our current status for in-person learning when we return from winter break. This means TK – 2nd grade will continue to be in-person 4 days a week, while 3rd – 8th grade will remain on their current 2 day a week hybrid AA/BB schedule. We will continue to follow strict health and safety protocols already in place for in-person learning.

The full updated guidance and new metrics from the Washington State Department of Health can be found here, with the chart showing the new metrics on page 8.

As I shared earlier this week, while we continue to see very little transmission of the virus within the school setting, the high rate of community spread that we are seeing in our region will impact our ability to remain open for in-person learning, especially if we cannot provide substitute teachers for staff who are out for illness or potential exposure and testing.

Please wear a mask, keep your distance, and avoid social gatherings as you enjoy your break and celebrate the holidays. The more precautions we all take, the faster we will see a decrease in cases in the region and the increase of time for students in the classroom. We will be closely monitoring the case counts and will reevaluate our plan as needed in collaboration with the Skamania Public Health Department.

Feel free to reach out to me if you have questions at rpruitt@skamania.k12.wa.us.

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!

Dr. Ralph Pruitt, Superintendent
Skamania School District