Plan for school year sent to state, and other school district news

The Blaine school district board of directors adopted a resolution on the district’s plan for the 2020-21 school year during its July 27 board meeting that will be sent to the Washington Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction and State Board of Education.

Blaine school district superintendent Christopher Granger noted during the meeting that the plan’s schedule for remote learning and in-person classes will be synchronous to keep students and families on a consistent schedule. For kindergarten to 5th grade, this means students will have designated times to check in online between independent learning sessions. These breaks will be mirrored in the classroom, he said.

“We want the schedules to be as closely related as possible so students have the least amount of fluctuation in the schedule as we transition in the building, out of the building, in hybrid or online,” Granger said.

The board also approved a student immunization and life threatening health conditions policy that follows the state mandate requiring students to provide evidence of immunization from diseases. This will go into effect August 1.

Among other approvals was an update to the substance abuse program that refers to marijuana as a harmful substance and the conflicts of interest policy that now clarifies no district employee can tutor or provide support to a student for a fee.

During the meeting, Granger said the district is working to solve remaining challenges during the month before classes start on August 26. Some of these challenges include finalizing a plan for sports, childcare and providing internet access for 201 students who reported not having a reliable connection. Granger said he is working with the city of Blaine to look for places to put WiFi hotspots, but the problem cannot be fully solved by the start of school.

The school district is working with Blaine’s chapter of the Boys and Girls Clubs of Whatcom County to provide afterschool care for students. The club published an online survey to better understand the needs of families during Covid-19 that is available on the district’s website at blaineisd.org/covid-19-info-
and-updates.

“I think transparency and honesty is what’s going to get us through this, not acting like we don’t know,” Granger said. “Being honest when we don’t know what the answer is but saying it when we do know.”