Clover Park School District Will Resume Remote Learning In Fall

LAKEWOOD, WA — Clover Park School District has announced that they will not be reopening classrooms in the fall, and that students will instead continue remote learning from home when classes begin on September 2.

In making the decision, the district cites "the significant increase in COVID-19 cases in our local area" as well as a recent letter from Pierce County's top health official which urged superintendents to keep schools closed for the time being.

"Based on the COVID-19 disease activity in Pierce County and our region, I do not feel it is safe to open schools in September for traditional classroom learning," Dr. Anthony Chen, Director of Health for the Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department said. "The situation could change, and I may change my recommendation at a later date. I am offering this recommendation at this time to respect our local school districts' needs to plan and make decisions to have time to implement."

In response, Clover Park has announced that they will begin with virtual learning from home, but plan to eventually transition to a hybrid model alternating time in school and time at home, and finally into full face-to-face learning for all students later in the school year.

The district says they know this will be tough for some students and families, but that it's necessary to keep students and staff safe.

"We learned a great deal this past spring from our previous remote learning efforts and are using that feedback in our planning to provide the best possible educational experience for our students until they return to face-to-face learning," wrote Clover Park Superintendent Ron Banner. "We are also working with community partners to see how we can help support families during these uncertain times."

Clover Park will be sharing more specific plans on their remote learning program over the next few weeks. The district is just the latest in Pierce County to make the choice to cancel in-person classes for the beginning of the school year. Similar announcements have been made by the Puyallup, Peninsula, and Sumner-Bonney Lake School Districts.