SPOKANE, Wash. — Students across the Inland Northwest have had to deal with a lot of changes in the past 14 months, with schools switching between virtual learning, bringing students back into classrooms and hybrid models.
Washington and Idaho are both on track to being close or fully reopened by fall, both states have taken to making recommendations about what education will look like during the next academic year.
Here's what we know about what school will look like in Washington and Idaho during the 2021-20211 year.
Washington
The Washington Department of Health has released guidance for the upcoming school year, including an expectation that districts offer full-time in-person instruction to all students interested in returning to the classroom.
All people on a campus in Washington must wear a face covering when indoors, as well as during outdoor situations where distancing of six feet isn't possible.
Other protocols that must be adopted by schools in Washington include:
- Basic ventilation, cleaning and sanitization plans must be updated
- Schools must prepare a response plan for COVID-19 infections in students and staff
- Schools must be ready to provide instruction to students who are ill or are quarantining
- Physical distancing of three feet should be followed in classrooms, with six feet of distancing in other situations
According to the plan, the physical distancing requirement shouldn't prevent a district from offering full-time in-person learning. As of now, Washington is not considering a COVID-19 vaccination requirement.
Idaho
Idaho State Superintendent Sherri Ybarra has said the state isn't considering a COVID-19 vaccine requirement. She added that she would like eligible students to get the vaccine, but wouldn't support a law requiring the vaccine for in-person learning.
As for learning models, most districts in Idaho are back to in-person learning. As of Sunday, 108 of 116 public school districts in the state were back in person, with the other eight using a hybrid model, according to the Idaho State Department of Education.
For Idaho charter schools, 46 are fully in person, six use a hybrid model and 10 are online, including the Kootenai Bridge Academy, according to the state's DOH.
Most Idaho school districts have been making decisions on their own - often with consultation from local health districts - about guidelines in classrooms. One example of this was Coeur d'Alene's Lake City High School reimplementing a mask requirement due to a COVID-19 outbreak earlier this week.
Idaho is still in Phase 4 of reopening, although Governor Brad Little's plan doesn't explicitly mention schools. It does recommend that people taking part in gatherings wear face coverings.
Colleges and Universities
Washington State University is requiring proof of COVID-19 vaccination in order to take part in programs or classes on any of its campuses. The requirement is also extended to faculty and staff as well as students.
The University of Idaho, the Community Colleges of Spokane and Eastern Washington University all won't require vaccination in the fall. North Idaho College has said it won't ask for proof of vaccination.
Gonzaga University and Whitworth University have said they haven't yet made a decision on vaccine requirements.
KING 5 News and KTVB News contributed to this report.