MEDICAL LAKE, Wash. — Wednesday marked the first day of school for the Medical Lake School District, and the day was a move in the right direction for a community still dealing with the impacts of a devastating wildfire.
When the Gray Fire first sparked less than two weeks ago, school officials weren't sure if they would be able to start the year as scheduled. After evacuations in the area dropped and parents voiced their opinions to school officials, students returned to school when they were supposed to.
Students like Hudson Raulston, a junior at Medical Lake High School, described the first day as getting back to normal.
“I was looking forward to it," he said. "It was kind of a bounce back scenario. Everyone wanted to get back to school and get united with each other.”
School officials told KREM 2 they were initially unsure if they would be able to start the school year on time. After getting responses from a survey sent to parents, however, the decision was made to start the year.
“If it's all possible, we wanted to be able to start on the first day, create that normal and maintain that structure and that support for our students and our families," said Dr. Kimberly Headrick, the school district's superintendent.
Headrick got to visit each school in the district Wednesday morning.
“It was very encouraging, engaging, great energy. Kiddos were excited," she said.
Students and staff who were displaced due to the Gray Fire are not obligated to return to school, according to Headrick. For those who are displaced, out of district transportation will be given.
“Most students are back in the classroom right now," Headrick said. "We have a few that are still taking a bit of time, they have some housing situations they need to work out. But it’s totally understandable.”
As for grandparents like Karen Lawton, she, too, is excited for her grandkids to get back to normal.
“We want to do that for our kids. And for that sense of normalcy, even though you never know what a day is going to bring," Lawton said.
As crews continue to work their way through fire zones, all school operations are still normal and no changes have been made to the academic calendar.
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