If you have school-aged kids, one of the biggest questions is… “What is school going to look like for the 2020-2021 school year?” Vancouver Public Schools has released options for a possible return to school this fall.
The preferred option for school this fall, as indicated by parents and staff members in a recent survey, is to return to school in-person with the required safety precautions. Guidance from the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction sets an expectation for schools to reopen for “traditional” in-person learning, following physical distancing protocol as much as possible along with other health and safety practices.
If a full return to in-person school isn’t possible due to state and/or local health department restrictions, students will attend school on an alternating schedule of in-person instruction one week followed by remote instruction the next week. A rotating schedule will reduce the number of students in schools by half so that physical distancing requirements can be met.
Families who do not want their child to return to school in-person can access remote learning by enrolling in the district’s Virtual Learning Academy. This program is for K-12 students and includes remote instruction with teachers. Students can enroll in the Virtual Learning Academy per semester.
VPS will continue to keep families informed as they work on developing return-to-school plans consistent with state health guidance. Planning will evolve as conditions change over the summer. So that the plan reflects the current conditions as much as possible, families will receive information about finalized schedules and options in mid-August.