Chimacum schools COVID shutdown: Here's what will continue for students, families

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Chimacum students will still get some in-person support after schools are closed to the third wave of infections from the COVID-19 pandemic, Chimacum School District Superintendent David Engle said Thursday.

At the school board meeting Wednesday, Engle told the board he had made the difficult decision to switch from the district's hybrid teaching model to remote-only learning.

Since fall, Chimacum has been using a hybrid teaching model, with students arranged in cohorts, with instruction being a blend of online learning and in-person classes, depending on the day of the week.

The last day of in-person instruction will be either Friday, Nov. 20 or Tuesday, Nov. 24.

Engle said Wednesday he would finalize the last day of in-person learning late Friday, following a meeting with public health officials and other school superintendents in Jefferson County.

In a Facebook message to the Chimacum community Thursday, Engle outlined the services that will still be provided to students and families. 

"We will not be closing schools as abruptly as we did in the spring. We will still offer limited in-person support for some students receiving special education or intervention services," Engle wrote.

"With our transition to distance learning our families can expect the continuation of:

• Meal delivery and pick up;

• Current grading practices;

• Daily attendance tasks;

• Google Classrooms;

• Technology support for school issued devices; [and]

• Home internet support for low income families."

Engle said the school district will return to in-person learning once the COVID infection rate "stabilizes well below the current level (now at 100 per 100,000)."

"I have considered the serious impact this will have on our students and their families," he added. "With a significantly increased rate of community infection, our hybrid in-person learning model is vulnerable to frequent disruption due to out-of-school exposure of students and staff. This high community infection rate impacts both our learning model and the safety of students and staff. On balance, I understand that moving to a remote-learning model is necessary. It remains, however, a difficult decision."