August 20, 2021
Dear Riverview Community:
The purpose of this communication is to provide updates to our Riverview Community as we move closer to the return of full-time, in-person learning and the first day of school on September 1, 2021.
RIVERVIEW ENTERS INTO PUGET SOUND ONLINE LEARNING COOPERATIVE
The Riverview School District will provide a virtual learning option for students in Kindergarten through 8th grade. The school district already has a virtual option for high school students called CLEAR (Cyber Learning Educational Alternative at Riverview). To access CLEAR, please contact the Riverview Learning Center (RLC), via phone at (425) 844-4960, or by emailing RLC Secretary Kris Rodger (rodgerk@rsd407.org).
Given the recent rise in COVID-19 Delta variant cases, some parents have contacted us seeking a home-based/virtual learning alternative. As a response to these inquiries, we have contracted with the Puget Sound Online Learning Cooperative to provide a virtual learning option. Riverview will be a participant in this new online learning cooperative, organized by the Puget Sound Educational Service District (PSESD), for the 2021-2022 school year.
The Cooperative, using the Edgenuity learning platform, will allow students to work at their own pace from home, with guidance from a parent or guardian. Students will stay enrolled in Riverview, while learning through the Edgenuity program. The district will provide educational supports for students who qualify for special programs outside of general education.
Key elements of the Edgenuity platform includes:
Primarily asynchronous learning.
Learning support provided by parent/guardian (defined by Edgenuity as a “Learning Coach”).
Workbooks will be available for grades K-5.
All materials for grades 6-8 are provided online through the Edgenuity platform.
Suggested schedules and pacing guides provided by Edgenuity.
Edgenuity teachers are available for office hours, tutoring, and one-to-one support.
Moving forward, we will be sharing details on the registration process next week as the Collaborative finalizes details with Edgenuity. We are excited to have this opportunity to continue to provide a virtual learning option for families during the 2021-2022 school year.
If you have interest in the Puget Sound Online Learning Cooperative and plan to register for this virtual learning opportunity, please contact our Teaching and Learning Department, via email, at rsdtl@rsd407.org.
UPDATE ON STATE VACCINATIONS AND OTHER MITIGATING FACTORS
Vaccinations
On August 18, 2021, Governor Jay Inslee announced a new directive legally requiring all K-12 school district employees to get a COVID-19 vaccination or a medical or religious exemption by October 18, 2021.
This proclamation does not apply to students. The COVID-19 vaccine is not required for students at this time. The proclamation also does not replace the requirement for all staff and students to wear masks or face coverings in school and on school buses.
Please note that this announcement will not delay our return to school buildings this fall. Our first day of school is Wednesday, September 1, 2021.
Some of the key elements of the Governor's Proclamation are outlined below:
Riverview School District and our local School Board do not have control over this decision. We are legally required to follow the Governor’s directive. Employees may obtain a medical or religious exemption, if they qualify.
There is not an option to undergo regular testing for COVID-19 instead of receiving a vaccination or exemption.
Employees will need to provide proof of vaccination. Attestation is not an allowable substitute for vaccination.
Vaccination is a condition of employment in the proclamation. Only a medical or religious exemption will substitute for the vaccine requirement.
Again, this proclamation does not include requiring vaccines for students. We are sharing this information, so families understand some of the health and safety requirements that are in place for the 2021-22 school year.
Masking Requirements
As a reminder, masking protocols will be in place throughout the school district, regardless of vaccination status. Specifically, masks/face coverings will be required indoors and outdoors during the school day, with the exception of lunch when masks can be removed while students are eating and drinking. For more specific information, please refer to the Washington State Department of Health – Order of the Secretary of Health Amending Order 20-03, signed on August 19, 2021.
Contact Tracing
When staff are notified of a positive case, a possible case, or are sick themselves, they must notify the school administrator or school nurse. The nurse will follow guidance from Public Health – Seattle & King County and has been trained to work through contract tracing in determining what actions should next be taken and what guidance should subsequently be provided. All positive cases are reported to Public Health – Seattle & King County.
If a person in a classroom tests positive, the close contacts will be notified. The teacher will also be interviewed to determine if social distancing has been maintained. An additional determination will be made if there are students or staff who could be considered close contacts, per the Washington State Department of Health definition of individuals who were next to the positive individual for less than six feet, greater than 15 minutes, over a 24-hour period.
Riverview also has a coordinator assigned at the Washington State Department of Health should we need additional guidance and/or support. Our nursing team will also be tracking any students missing school because of illness and will follow up with families to give guidance on when a student can return, based on Public Health – Seattle & King County recommendations.
If the positive case is a student, the family will be contacted to get additional information. Once the information is collected, Public Health – Seattle & King County will be notified, and a determination will be made if the whole classroom should quarantine or just specific close contacts for a 14-day period. If there is a second case in the same classroom within a two-week period, it is likely the whole classroom would be required to quarantine.
For updated information on contact tracing and other mitigation factors, please see the latest Department of Health guidance, by clicking the link below:
Lunch/Meal Updates
At our elementary school locations, plexiglass will be added to the lunchroom tables, creating independent eating spaces for our students. Delays in plexiglass availability have caused the district to phase-in plexiglass installation at the secondary level after the school year begins. Tents will be placed outside on campus at both Cedarcrest High School and Tolt Middle School, allowing additional spacing for students to eat their lunch during the school day.
UPDATES ON VOLUNTEERS
Volunteers for Sports/Other Outdoor Activities
Volunteers for sports and other outdoor activities are currently allowed. All volunteers must have an up-to-date, completed, and approved volunteer application submitted to the school office.
In addition, school district volunteers must provide a proof of vaccination, or medical or religious exemption, by October 18, 2021.
Volunteers for Classrooms/Other Indoor Activities
Volunteers for classrooms and other indoor activities will be allowed beginning Monday, October 4, 2021. Volunteers will need to gain approval from the classroom teacher and principal. Each volunteer must have an up-to-date, completed, and approved volunteer application.
In addition, school district volunteers must provide a proof of vaccination, or medical or religious exemption, by October 18, 2021.
For all volunteers, proof of completed vaccinations will be accepted after the October 18, 2021 deadline.
SPORTS AND ATHLETICS GUIDANCE FORTHCOMING
Today, Athletic Directors met from the WESCO Conference to establish updated guidance and protocols for spectators, coaches, and student-athletes participating indoor and outdoor sports at the middle school and high school level. We will provide further updates next week as those guidelines are reviewed and finalized in Riverview.