Middle and high school students to begin hybrid learning

Blaine middle and high school students will be returning to hybrid learning next week after the governor’s office and Washington State Department of Health changed their Covid-19 guidance to allow older students back into the classroom. Grades 6-9 will start on Wednesday, January 6 with half-day in-person learning that alternates weekly to online learning, while grades 10-12 will begin in-person learning on Monday, January 11.

In a December 18 message, superintendent Christopher Granger announced the Blaine school district will start phasing in middle and high school students as recent data gathered by state and national officials show that schools are not creating Covid-19 outbreaks.

The research presented in a new decision making “tool kit” with revised metrics by the department of health recommends school districts start phasing in middle and high school students when case rates are below 200 cases per 100,000 people for the past two weeks.

As of December 29, the Blaine school district has a case rate of 108 cases per 100,000 in the past two weeks and, as of December 28, Whatcom County has a case rate of 190.9.

Granger could not be reached by press time to confirm whether the decision to have middle and high school students return to hybrid learning would hold if the county’s case rate increased above 200 after the holiday season.

This announcement comes after a December 15 school board meeting where all speakers during the public comment period advocated for the board to fight to get students back into the classroom. Many of the speakers mentioned the mental health impacts that remote learning has on students and referenced recent suicides of students nationwide related to pandemic isolation.

“We are so excited to share the news of this next step with you and can think of no better gift for our community this holiday season,” Granger said in his message.

The school district will continue to follow Whatcom County Health Department’s recommendations, as well as the district’s Covid-19 procedures.

Since the school district’s ability to have in-person learning is dependent on county metrics of the community’s transmission rates, Granger encouraged community members to follow the recommendations of distancing, masking, frequent hand washing, cleaning and limiting gatherings.

A community Q&A is scheduled for 6 p.m. on Monday, January 4. There will also be a middle school hybrid learning information night at 6 p.m. on Tuesday, January 5, and a high school information night at the same time on Wednesday, January 6. For information and Zoom links to the meetings, visit the school district website at bit.ly/3n1jdzU.