The Mossyrock School District returned to a full distance learning model on Monday, Sept. 21 from a hybrid model after a student tested positive for COVID-19 after one week of in-person schooling.
At the start of the 2020-21 school year, Mossyrock School District was the only public school district in Lewis County that decided to defy the Lewis County Public Health & Social Services (LCPHSS) recommendation of beginning the school year with distance-only learning.
“Out of an abundance of caution, we will be pivoting to virtual instruction only tomorrow (Monday), all students will stay home and receive their instruction virtually,” read a Facebook post from the Mossyrock School District from Sunday, Sept. 20.
The district said they will use Monday as a day to clean the school building and work with the health department to establish a list of the students and teachers the infected student was in contact with at school. The Facebook post from the district went on to say that they hope to return to their regular hybrid learning schedule on Tuesday.
After one week of the parent-teacher conferences and virtual learning to start the year off, Mossyrock began their in-person schooling on Sept. 14, according to the district’s Facebook page.
Mossyrock outlined some of the procedures they have in place during in-person schooling on their website which include having a target of 15 or fewer students in a classroom, maintaining 6-foot social distancing, having everyone wear a mask and health screenings upon arrival.
“We so appreciate your support and understanding as we continue to provide the best and safest educational experience we can for our Vikings,” stated the district’s Facebook post.
In early August, Lewis County Health Officer Dr. Rachel Wood issued a recommendation that all public and private schools in Lewis County offer distance only learning for the start of the 2020-21 school year.
Centralia, Chehalis, Napavine, Winlock, Toledo, Onalaska, Morton, Pe Ell, White Pass and Adna School Districts all began the school year with fully online learning.
In mid-August, the Mossyrock School Board voted 3-2 to reopen the district with a hybrid learning model, which means students will be in the classroom for a portion of the week and learning remotely for the other days. The Mossyrock School District has also been providing a fully online option for those families who would prefer their child learns from home.
Mossyrock had kindergarten through third graders in the classroom four days out of the week. The students in grades four through 11 were split into two groups and those groups alternated attending school in-person for two days a week. High school seniors have been attending in-person school four days a week.
Centralia Christian School, a private school, began the school year with fully in-person learning without a distance-learning option.
“We’re following the guidelines by the CDC and the American Academy of Pediatrics and they both recommend in-person schooling for children is the best option. We realize that the public schools have a lot more issues to deal with than we do,” said Centralia Christian School Principal Ann Stout. “As a small school, we can offer in-person education safely, we believe.”
Stout said that the parents of students at Centralia Christian School are in favor of in-person schooling in the fall.
On Sept. 13, the Boistfort School District joined Mossyrock and became the second public school in the county to opt for a hybrid schooling model with some distance learning days and some in-person days.
A Mossyrock School Board meeting is scheduled for 7 p.m. on Monday, Sept. 21.
