Marysville schools work on plan for next school year

The Marysville School District is currently working with staff and families to come up with a plan for how to open next school year.

District staff is getting together regularly to figure out how to meet state requirements on opening.

Updates around the current state of the district's work are available at msd25.org/o/district/page/reopening-schools-2020.

"We have a core committee of school administrators and staff," said Jodi Runyon, director of communications, engagement and outreach at the district.

"Their initial work was learning what the requirements would be," she said.

The Washington State Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction has provided a guideline document which outlines various options for schools in the fall and the safety requirements for each of those.

Runyon said the first work of the committee was understanding those requirements.

In addition to the core committee, the district has put together another group to offer guidance on how to reopen.

"This is a larger stakeholder group which has been put together with representatives from around the community," said Runyon.

That group includes parents and meets once a week. The district has also sought opinions from parents through surveys and has reached out to students.

"There will be an opportunity for students to provide their feedback to the group," said Runyon.

The stakeholder group is meant to allow parents and other groups a voice in the decision.

"We want to create a plan that puts student and staff safety first, and also one that is sustainable," said Runyon.

"Obviously we're concerned about the inequities and providing the best educational experience," she said.

With the coronavirus pandemic there are many competing concerns for families and the final decision is unlikely to solve every issue.

"We know it's not going to be perfect for everyone," said Runyon.

"We understand that this is difficult and hard for families. We understand and we're going to do the best job we can while fulfilling the requirements of OSPI," she said.

District officials hope to have their plan ready soon.

"The goal is to have a plan by the end of July," said Runyon, which they hope to be submitted to the school board for the board's first meeting in August.

Ultimately, the decision will be up to a vote of the Marysville School District board of directors.

Schools that are going to open again in the fall need to have their plans filed with the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction soon.

"We have to submit to the state two weeks prior to the opening of schools if that is our plan," said Runyon.

Runyon said that district staff is also paying attention to what other school districts are planning to see if any consensus forms on best practices.