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Thurston County parents plead, sometimes tearfully, for a return to school

Olympian - 11/13/2020

Nov. 13--Despite a recent rise in COVID-19 cases and concerns about a wider spread of the virus over the winter, nearly 20 parents pleaded for a return to school this week during a Thurston CountyBoard of Health meeting.

Some appeared in person at the Tuesday afternoon meeting, and many called in by phone, but all delivered the same message: Get our kids back into school.

"I implore the Board of Health to allow us to find ways, even creative ways, to get our kids back in school for the sake of their mental health," said parent Frank Durocher, who said he has two children in the Olympia School District.

Concerns about mental health were a common theme. The parents talked, sometimes tearfully, about depression, isolation and students who used to perform well in school but are now struggling with online classes. They also expressed frustration that private schools, and some public schools in other counties, are in school, but not here.

One parent questioned who ultimately makes the decision to reopen schools. He said it falls to school administrators and not the health officer, and yet her recommendations are followed.

"School districts are feeling powerless to make their own decisions," said Stephen Manning, who addressed the board in person.

County Health Officer Dr. Dimyana Abdelmalek is part of the board and she attended Tuesday's meeting, but she did not reply to public comment. However, she has outlined her concerns about the recent spread of the virus in a key recommendation last week and in a letter to the community this week, which touched on the challenges of returning to school.

"There have been instances of children coming to school when they were instructed to quarantine and then developing COVID-19 after spending time in the educational setting," she writes. "Children who come to school while infectious pose a risk to both other children and the staff who teach and support them."

Abdelmalek also strongly recommended last week that any in-person learning be wound down, except for small groups of students with the highest need, and that remote learning continue until January. She based that recommendation on the county's sustained high transmission range of 95.9 cases per 100,000 population.

Parents took issue with that metric during the meeting, saying that what children are going through is more that just a number.

Another parent fears that COVID-19 is here to stay, and if that's the case, "we must figure out how to live with it" and get kids back into school.

After public testimony, Commissioner Gary Edwards was adamant the board respond to parents' concerns, adding that it is a "hot topic." He estimated he has received two dozen calls at home from parents sharing the same message.

"If we don't come up with an immediate response, we are falling down on the job," he said.

Initially, the response was going to be an emergency meeting of the Board of Health on Friday, but it eventually evolved into a Board of Health work session set for 10:30 a.m. to noonNov. 17. The public can attend the meeting, but there is no public comment during a work session.

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