Washington- Superintendent Chris Reykdal says that 90% of school staff are vaccinated state-wide.
42% of total students are vaccinated, that may vary among the different grade levels, but he expects those number to rise now that vaccines are available for children ages 5 to 11.
He says, “As enough staff in a given building or district are diagnosed with COVID, even with the mild symptoms that most are experiencing, they’re doing the right thing by calling in and saying I need my five days of isolation or quarantine.”
With the number of cases on the rise, Reykdal doesn’t foresee school closures again, but the next three or four weeks will be essential to to determining that decision moving forward.
As of now, state leaders don’t expect a vaccine mandate for students because they want to leave that decision to public health officials.
Since schools went back to in-person learning, they got more funding for mental health resources that students can access.
Reykdal says, students have found that schools were a way for them to connect to public services.
“This is a place that for many other students, they’re connecting to public services, whether its a lunch or a breakfast, a breakfast and lunch… This is perhaps a place where the school has helped them network for housing supports or transportation needs for their family,” says Chris Reykdal.
Graduation rates for the 2021 school year were at 82.5% with a 0.4% increase from the prior school year.
