County health officer calls for distance learning

Published 3:30 pm Tuesday, August 4, 2020

Grays Harbor County Health Officer, Dr. John Bausher, has sent letters to the school superintendents in the county and to Grays Harbor College recommending that schools start the year with a distance-learning model as opposed to in-person classes. A hybrid version might be appropriate in special circumstances, he said.

Some schools have already announced plans for distance learning and some for a hybrid of in-person and distance learning, but all were ready to pivot to something different.

The county experienced a surge of cases in June and July. “At this time, the disease spread of COVID-19 in Grays Harbor County is around 1.5 times the current goal of 25 cases per 100,000 people in a two-week period,” Bausher wrote.

Hoquiam Superintendent Mike Villarreal said the lines of communication between county health officials and the district have been wide open and he’s grateful the county is providing some direction for the 2020-21 school year.

“I think that the county, along with the state, have been working to make sure that we are cautiously and prudently keeping our communities safe, so I was pleased to see that the county and Dr. Bausher were able to give us some direction and counsel as they are the medical professionals,” said Villarreal. He announced last Friday that the district was already planning to open for online learning only Sept. 2.

“Working together we will be able to support our kids in a safe manner and also with the goal that we can eventually open up school as soon as possible,” said Villarreal.

Health officers in some neighboring counties have also written letters such as Bausher’s, recommending distance learning models.

Since schools were shut down statewide last spring, every district in the area has been working on plans that include in-person and/or online learning.

“Our job now is to make sure our plans meet the requirements for our students and their education,” said Villarreal.

Grays Harbor College has already decided to offer only distance learning classes, except in a few circumstances that require facilities only available at the college, such as trades classes.

On Tuesday, county officials reported six new cases. Five of the six were attributed to July, bringing the month total to 63. So far for August there is one confirmed case and one death reported Tuesday, making a total of two deaths attributed to Covid-19.

Bausher wrote to the schools:

Studies show that schools play an incredibly important role in healthy growth and development. I understand that whether or not to operate schools in-person is a very difficult decision that schools must make. I also understand that you are reviewing the same science and guidance that is available to all of us at this time, and that the science of COVID-19 is rapidly evolving.

On July 13, 2020, the Institute for Disease Modeling released the report, “Schools are not islands: we must mitigate community transmission to reopen school.” Their investigators’ modeling shows that if community mobility and disease spread were too high, none of the mitigating strategies (face cloth coverings, physical distancing, strong hygiene practices, cohorting, etc.) that schools could implement would be able to reduce the risk of spread to a sustainable level.

“Due to this level of local disease activity, it is my recommendation that Grays Harbor K-12 schools and Grays Harbor College start the school year with a distance learning model, or in special circumstances, a hybrid model.

He said some schools with small case numbers and facilities that include large physical spaces and adequate staffing, may be able to offer limited in-person instruction or a hybrid model if the district can adhere to safety measures outlined by the state.

If schools do have in-person or hybrid models, the priority should be for grades K-5 and special educational services, remote learning models used for older grades, Bausher wrote in his letter.

The doctor said the whole community has a role in getting schools back to normal. “As a community, regardless of whether in-person or remote school operations are in place, each one of us can take action to reduce disease spread,” he said. “Everyone should stay home when you are sick, wash your hands with soap and water often, stay at least 6 feet away from people you do not live with, and wear a cloth face covering, if you can, at all times in public spaces. If we all follow these practices, we can disrupt the current community spread of COVID-19, at which time schools may be able to increase in-person activities.”