During last week’s Sequim School Board meeting, directors and staff reviewed plans for reopening instruction next month amid uncertainties and concerns about the status of the virus.  Meeting remotely over the internet, they heard from two teachers who had submitted written comments during the public comment period, urging caution. School Board President Brandino Gibson read this comment from teacher Carol Harms.

GIBSON:  “Over one half of the teachers who responded to the Sequim Education Association survey preferred remote start over an in-school start. We know that under normal circumstances that every teacher would prefer to be in the classroom.  This indicates a serious concern among school staff regarding safety, and should be a series consideration to the school board.”

Sequim Middle School teacher Susan Dwyer, submitted these comments:

DWYER:  “The only way to guarantee student and staff safety is to be completely remote until the 5 criteria set by Superintendent Reykdal are achieved. Even one preventable death is a travesty and any COVID related complications would be asking too much of our community. It will be inconvenient. It will be difficult.  It will be tiresome. But it will be safety. I’ve taught for 34 years, 14 of those with the Sequim School District and I ask you to follow the well thought out criteria set by our state superintendent and keep our students and staff safe.”

Sequim Superintendent Dr. Rob Clark says the issue that scares him is Labor Day weekend.

CLARK:  “If you look around the country, when the spikes have come they’ve all – many of them – I don’t know about all of them. But many of them have happened after two weeks after the holiday. Memorial weekend. Fourth of July. We have Labor Day coming up here in approximately four weeks.”

The Board is scheduled to take a final vote on a reopening plan on August 17th.  Reopening options are posted on the Sequim School District website.

Two more positive COVID-19 cases were confirmed in Clallam County yesterday, bringing to 104 the number since March in the county. The newest cases are believed to have been contracted from family and friends from both in-county and out-of county sources. 

Even with the new cases, County Health Officer Dr. Allison Unthank says overall case rates seem to be moving toward a plateau. Clallam is about 30 cases per 100,000 people for the past two weeks.  She told the PDN “That’s good news.  We’re not continuing to skyrocket upwards. The next step is to actually turn those cases back downwards.”