CHENEY – The Public Schools Board of Directors approved an application at its May 13 meeting to apply for an emergency request waiving the number of school days and hours required set forth by the state to be met in order to determine the minimum level of basic education.
The resolution approved the adoption of the district’s continuous learning plan that was implemented in response to Gov. Jay Inslee’s closure of K-12 public schools on March 13 due to the spread of the coronavirus and subsequent extension of that closure to cover the rest of the 2019-2020 school year on April 6. The resolution also allows the district to continue to receive full state funding for instruction despite not meeting it required number of hours and days of instruction.
According to RCW 28A.150.220, each school district must provide a district-wide 1,000 hours per year for students grades 1-8 and 1,800 hours for students grades 9-12. Schools receiving funding for all-day kindergarten must provide up to 1,000 hours of instruction. School districts must also provide at least 180 days of instruction as well.
Assistant Superintendent Tom Arlt told the board the resolution was one of three recommended resolution issued by the Washington State School Directors Association in response to COVID-19. Districts are only required to adopt one of the three resolutions depending about their own unique situations.
“20-19-R (one of the three) is probably the resolution that 90-95 percent of the districts will adopt because of the situation that they’re in,” Arlt said.
Arlt added that districts will also need to fill out and return the actual waiver from the state Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction in order to complete the process. That document was scheduled to have been released around May 15.
The resolution also follows guideline established on April 29 by OSPI regarding district operations during the coronavirus pandemic, including plans for instruction and the ability to waive the days and hours requirement. Districts must either extend their school year by five days or at through June 19.
Cheney is extending its school year two days to meet the June 19 requirement. The district must also send its continuous learning plan to OSPI.
“We’re not sure exactly what that will look like, but I’m assuming at some point we will have to upload the continuous learning plan and provide information to OSPI,” Arlt added.
Arlt added that the waiver request should be the last resolution the district would need to adopt to address COVID-19.
“But I probably just jinxed us,” he added to school board laughter.
The resolution passed unanimously, 5-0.
John McCallum can be reached at [email protected].
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