Lake Washington School District Moves K-1 Start Date To Feb. 18

REDMOND, WA — Lake Washington's youngest students will have to wait a little bit longer to return to the classroom, following input from public health officials, teachers and other district leaders. In a letter sent to families and staff Thursday, district superintendent Jon Holmen said adjusting the timeline for in-person learning would allow to evaluate and potentially modify its COVID-19 safety measures and ensure staff is fully prepared to welcome students back.

Holmen writes:

"As Superintendent, I am charged with understanding the parts and pieces of the district and, at times, to make difficult decisions that naturally lead to frustration for some and joy for others. I am honored to work with great people across our organization and make these decisions. These decisions are made with input and information as well as our ability to accomplish our collective goals and outcomes for students.

Over the last week, I have been evaluating our next steps for shifting our elementary learning models and I have some adjustments to our timelines that I need to share with you today. Significant time and input have been gathered that led to these decisions. I have spent time listening and/or collaborating with our public health officials, our district leaders, educators, union leaders, and staff as we made updates to our current efforts.

I want to recognize that adjustments to timelines have impacts for families, students, staff and the community. I am not making these adjustments lightly and would not do this if I didn’t believe it was best for the overall health and well-being of the organization and staff which ultimately affects students."

The superintendent said he met with public health officials Wednesday to review its mitigation measures and ultimately determined more time was needed to ensure everyone was prepared for the phased transition to in-person learning. That includes 25 new teachers hired in the last two weeks, who will need to complete orientation and training.

Here are the adjusted timelines for in-person learning:

Kindergarten and 1st grade:

• Asynchronous Learning Week for teacher prep: January 22-28
• K-1 Conferences: January 29, February 1 & 2
• Instruction with current students: February 3-10
• Schools notify families of class placement: February 8
• Asynchronous learning for current students: February 16 & 17
• Start of new K-1 Learning Model: February 18

2nd - 5th Grade:

• Second and Third Grade Implementation: Beginning to middle of March
• Fourth and Fifth Grade Implementation: Middle to end of March

Holmen said K-1 students would transition to "asynchronous lessons" beginning Friday to give teachers adequate time to prepare for in-person learning, with specific details provided to families by the school or children's teachers.

Lake Washington School District's decision to adjust its timeline came the same day that neighboring Bellevue schools moved forward with reopening plans, despite the objections of its teachers' union due to safety concerns.

Find answers to frequently asked questions on the "Pathway Forward" for Lake Washington students on the district's website.