Whatcom County school districts fighting battle with COVID to keep students in classrooms
Jan. 17—Like many other school districts around the Whatcom County, the state and the nation, Bellingham Public Schools is fighting a battle to keep its doors open and students in its classrooms against escalating COVID-19 case numbers spurred by the omicron variant.
"We're going to continue to do everything we can to avoid switching to remote learning, unless we are ordered to by an authority like the governor or the health department," school district spokesperson Dana Smith told The Bellingham Herald in an email. "We know kids learn best in person, and that schools are much more than just about learning: they are a key part of the system that helps keep our community working smoothly.
"We have been working on contingency plans, of course, because COVID has shown us again and again to expect the unexpected, but we have no plans to return to remote learning."
One of those plans, Smith said, was spurred by the Bellingham community's desire to also keep area schools open.
On Wednesday, Jan. 12, the district sent a letter encouraging community members to consider applying to become substitute teachers or become school volunteers.
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