College Place Public Schools will open school for the fall of 2020 with their Board approved “CPPS Full Remote At-Home Learning” Model based on the guidelines set for Washington schools by Governor Jay Inslee and State Superintendent Chris Reykdal. Walla Walla County has seen a dramatic increase in cases and currently has five times more cases of COVID-19 than is needed for a safe return to school based on the state metric. The metric is based on national and international data of schools and community transmission.
Last month, the CPPS Board of Directors approved a three-prong return to school that allowed for flexibility based on county conditions. While CPPS will return in a Full Remote model, it is still planning its “Hybrid AM/PM” Model for the next level of return when county conditions change. CPPS will be in the Full Remote “At-Home Learning Model” through the first grading period (6 weeks) and will evaluate conditions throughout the time.
CPPS’ Full Remote “At-Home Learning” Model this fall will be much different from spring 2020. It will be much more rigorous with increased expectations for student attendance, engagement, and academic performance. CPPS will continue to plan to provide additional options and support for its most vulnerable and struggling students. Many of these students will have access to onsite instruction in a five student to one teacher pod model.
Superintendent Jim Fry expressed to staff earlier in an email, “While I am heartbroken that we cannot return with face-to-face instruction this fall, I know that the staff of CPPS will continue to rise up to provide a phenomenal experience for students; caring for the academic, social, and emotional well-being of each.” Fry also acknowledged that schools do not operate in isolation and that the decision affects every child, every household, and every member of the greater College Place community.