On May 15, 2021, we shared with KSD students, families, staff, and community that we plan to reopen all KSD schools for all in-person instruction five full days a week for all KSD students in Pre-K through grade 12 in the fall for 2021-22 school year. Therefore, the first day of school for the 2021-22 school year is August 26, 2021, for grades 1-12.

 

As of May 13, 2021, the health guidance for the 2021-22 school year includes:

• We will continue the mandatory mitigation measures in place, including face coverings, ventilation, cleaning and disinfecting, and responding to and reporting COVID-19 cases.

• We plan to follow physical distancing recommended by DOH – 3 feet in classrooms and 6 feet elsewhere – to the greatest extent possible.

• We will also follow all school-related and sponsored extracurricular activities, including field trips, performing arts, and sports, in the Governor's Healthy Washington: Roadmap to Recovery guidance.

While we review the guidance new K-12 Fall 2021-2022 guidance released by the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction with our KSD Leaders and Labor Partners this spring in preparation for the next school year, we also want to hear from students, families, and staff.

 

To help us address questions and concerns, we invited the KSD Community to review the new K-12 Fall 2021-2022 guidance and FAQ: Returning to School in Fall, then respond to this question, "What are your questions and concerns about returning to learn in-person full-time in the 2021-22 school year?" through May 31, 2021, via Thoughtexchange.

 

Results

Through an online conversation platform called ThoughtExchange, 374 people contributed 382 thoughts and gave 13,704-star ratings in May 2021.

Thank you to everyone who participated in this exchange, answering the question, "What are your questions and concerns about returning to learn in-person full-time in the 2021-22 school year?" including:

• 39 current KSD students
• 206 current KSD parents/guardians
• 88 current KSD staff members
• 5 KSD community members

Thirteen themes emerged from the questions, concerns, and comments shared; you can fully explore the results here: 

• DOH Mask Guidelines
• Remote and Hybrid Learning Options
• Schedules and OSPI K-12 Guidelines
• Vaccines, quarantine, and contact tracing
• Physical distancing and class sizes, 
• Support for a return to full-time in-person learning
• Learning Acceleration and academic recovery
• Staff Expectations
• Sports and activities
• High-risk students and staff
• Seniors
• Building access
• DOH/L&I Safety and cleaning guidelines 

Next Steps

Your comments, questions, and concerns will now be used to help us develop messaging for Summer School and Back to School communications and safety guidelines that will be shared from our schools and district moving forward. Please continue to check your email, voice mail, text messages, mobile app notifications, social media, and our websites for updates and information regarding safety protocols for summer learning programs and the 2020-21 school year. 

 

Thank you for exploring this exchange and for sharing your feedback and questions. Additional communication and opportunities for our KSD community to provide feedback will occur throughout the school year.

We believe communication with our families, staff, and community is critical to student success. Kent School District (KSD) uses various tools to distribute information to our diverse community. 

Sign up for an account and be part of future exchanges.