🦠 Washington State is a model for closing schools thoughtfully and responsibly.
When you hear the news that all schools in your state will be closed for the next six weeks, it is a shock. EVERY SCHOOL? All those kids! What will their parents do?? This is crazy. Things are out of control! 😱
Photo Credit: https://unsplash.com/@neonbrand
Washington State was among the first in the country to begin widespread school closures. It started last Wednesday when Seattle Public Schools announced it would be closing all schools. On Thursday, Gov. Jay Inslee announced that all K–12 schools in three counties around Seattle would close for six weeks. On Friday, given increased infections statewide, he announced the closure would expand to the entire state and would restrict colleges from conducting in-person classes as well.
While all of this is shocking, especially the quickly escalating nature of it, things are far from out of control. I believe we are actually taking the right steps to limit the spread of COVID-19. The more we are able to limit contact with other people right now while this virus is spreading so quickly, the fewer people will become infected, and ultimately fewer people will die.
This article and its animations are a must-read on why social isolation is necessary immediately.
With school closure necessary, how do you minimize the impact on the people of your state?
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Photo Credit: Steve Ringman / The Seattle Times
When Washington Gov. Jay Inslee announced all schools would close for six weeks, it made everyone start talking and worrying. While the headline alone is shocking, I watched all of the press conferences Gov. Jay Inslee held last week, and they made me feel a lot better.
This was not a knee-jerk decision, and the government is working really hard to minimize the impact of the closures. New decisions are being announced daily because the virus is spreading quickly and there is new information every day.
Here’s why I have faith in Gov. Jay Inslee’s decision:
All key stakeholders were involved in the decision-making process, including all superintendents statewide.
Impacts to children who require school services, such as meals to survive, were heavily considered.
Impacts to parents of children who now need childcare were heavily considered, especially parents who are first responders like doctors and nurses.
Teachers and staff are expected to participate and help keep some semblance of normalcy going and are continuing to be paid. Many of the schools being closed were already facing significant absenteeism and staffing issues due to the virus.
A good recipe for a good decision:
Think about every group impacted by the decision *AND* everyone necessary to help make it happen effectively 🤝
If you are bored or worried, watch these press conferences, and I think you’ll feel better about the leadership here in Washington. The press conferences cover more than schools, including important payments to impacted families.
For the rest of you, I’ve distilled it down into the blueprint in the next section.
A blueprint for how to do this in your city, county, state, or country from Washington, USA. 🌲
If your region is grappling with whether to shut down schools or struggling to cope with a school shutdown and manage the impacts of the closure, here is a blueprint to minimizing the impact of school closures from Washington State.
Goal: Enable parents to care for their own children.
Parents need to be available to care for their own children. We can’t have other people caring for our children without introducing additional contacts and opportunities for germs to spread. When parents can care for their own children, it means fewer people are interacting with each child and fewer germs spreading. To enable this, the governor outlined these plans:
Make telecommuting possible for as many employees as possible.
Companies are encouraged to allow all employees who can work from home to work from home. This limits in-office transmission of germs and allows parents to care for their children while continuing to help their companies keep our economic, technical, and distribution systems healthy.Focus childcare efforts on first responders’ children.
The governor is very frank about the need for parents to step up and do everything they can to be part of the solution, not part of the problem. We also need parents who work in the health and human services sector to stay healthy and working to serve the sick. There will be more sick to care for soon if you listen to the officials or take a look at global trends. Washington State is working with counties across the state to implement childcare plans with the priority being first responders’ children.
Goal: Continue to provide the critical services that schools provide.
Schools provide important services to many families other than childcare. The governor outlined plans in coordination with superintendents and philanthropic and service organizations statewide to ensure that critical services are maintained.
Develop a plan to feed students who rely on school meals.
The state is making plans to ensure box lunches can be delivered to students at home. The plans are well underway and the state is confident it can continue to feed students. Creatively, they’ll be using bus drivers to deliver food (keeping them employed and serving the public!).Provide support for students experiencing homelessness.
School districts were asked to ensure their plans include critical services needed by homeless students. Childcare plans noted above should account for homeless children.
Goal: Keep children learning and maintain some sense of normalcy.
Let’s be real. A six week (or more) school closure really sucks for kids. This virus is robbing them not only from learning, but from all of the sports and arts activities they were excited about and from being with their friends. We should all think about ways to help kids get through this. The state is focusing on these plans:
Provide opportunities for extended K–12 learning.
Unfortunately, not all K–12 students are created equally, and some do not have the at-home access to computers and the internet they need in order to continue receiving education. As such, the governor asked schools to think about equitable options like take-home material. Schools with robust online learning programs for all of their students are not barred from online learning.Continue to involve teachers in learning.
This is not a vacation for students or teachers. Involve teachers in finding creative ways to continue educating students. Teachers I’ve spoken with in Seattle are working closely with parents on ways to equitably teach their classes remotely.
Goal: Leverage existing facilities carefully.
Districts are not barred from using their existing facilities as part of their plans to manage childcare and nutrition services but are asked to implement plans to ensure they remain safe places for people to work.
Keep germs at bay.
Encourage frequent hand washing and make hand sanitizer and wipes readily available.Maintain social distancing.
Implement policies and processes and develop new ways to use spaces to ensure that contact with other people is limited. Global recommendations are to stay six feet away from other people.Send sick students home.
Anyone showing any symptoms should be kept at home. Parents need paid sick leave to support this.Keep college campus services running.
Labs and clinics can continue with six-foot social distancing only if someone is assigned to enforce social distancing. Continued use of dorms, food services, and medical clinics given the above safety precautions is recommended.
What can you do with this information?
I hope it is informative to see how Washington State’s leadership is taking thoughtful measures to close schools with the least possible impact. It’s going to be an adjustment for all of us, but we will figure out how to live in isolation for a while to stop the spread of the virus, allow our healthcare workers to effectively care for the infected, and ensure we can get through this as quickly as possible.
If you are a parent who is stressed, I hope this helps you see that our leaders are working hard to make this go as smoothly as possible, but also that you are part of the solution. Please share with other parents.
If you are a leader in another city, state — even another country — grappling with the same problems, I hope this provides some ideas to help you think about where to start. Please share this with other leaders.
Everyone else, think about what you can do to help. Share your questions, concerns and ideas in the comments. Stay home unless absolutely necessary. Remain calm, keep learning, and only share information that you are certain is true. Most of all, wash your hands!
We will get through this! 💗
Remember we’re all in this together ✌🌎
