November 13, 2020
Dear White Salmon Valley Families,
The White Salmon Valley School District is postponing reopening schools for in-person instruction due to the recent increase in cases in Klickitat County. As of November 12, the Klickitat County Health Department reported 85 cases per 100,000.
We made a promise to our community to follow the reopening guidelines set by the Washington State Department of Health (DOH). The metrics currently specify that cases must fall below 75 per 100,000 before a safe reopening can occur.
When the number of cases per 100,000 safely aligns with the DOH metrics and health guidelines, our district will continue with the phased-in hybrid reopening plan. Our staff is committed to bringing students back into the building when it is safe. This past week, we have utilized the district hybrid planning days to finalize crucial systems and procedures that align with the health department guidelines to safely bring students back in person to school.
Currently our district has prioritized small groups of students to receive individualized instruction and support, however, due to the increase of cases we are pausing this service until further notice.
Moving forward, the school district will re-evaluate the metrics on November 23 to determine if it is safe to resume the phased-in hybrid learning.
Our tentative reopening dates:
November 30 for grades K, 1, and 4
December 7 for grades 2, 3, 5 and 6
January 4 for grades 7-12
We understand our students need to return to school and this time is extremely challenging for our students and families. We are committed to providing a safe in-person learning environment and we will continue to focus on our students social and emotional health, as well as academic growth. If you have any questions or concerns regarding our updated reopening plan, please reach out to your student’s building principal.
Sincerely,
District Administrative Team
#whitesalmonstrong