Teachers union, Highline Public Schools agree to Mar. 11 return for some students

This Thursday, March 11, 2021  will be the first day in a school building ever for some of Highline Public Schools’ PreK and Kindergarten students.

The next phase of hybrid instruction was assured Monday evening (Mar. 8), with teachers voting to ratify an agreement between Highline Education Association (HEA) and Highline Public Schools.

The start dates for the next phase of in-person instruction are:

• • March 11: PreK, kindergarten, grade 1, and K-12 Intensive Academic Center (IAC).

  • March 22: Grades 2 and 3

  • April 1: Grades 4 and 5

The transition back to school buildings began in November 2020 when students served in Integrated Learning Center (ILC) and Community Based Services (CBS) programs had the option to return in the hybrid model. In hybrid, morning and afternoon groups attend on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays.

Elementary students will be on a similar half-day, four-day-per-week schedule. Students served by the K-12 Intensive Academic Center (IAC) program will be in school buildings longer days due to the structure of the program, which is integrated with general education Zoom classes.

“I am grateful to the district and HEA bargaining committees who worked tirelessly to arrive at a plan that prioritizes the safety of our students and staff and provides our students with the in-person learning that they need and deserve,” said Superintendent Susan Enfield. “I value our students and staff, and I take very seriously my responsibility for their health and safety. We can all be confident in the safety plans and protocols developed in collaboration with our labor partners and approved by our teachers.”

Now that education employees are eligible to be vaccinated, Highline staff have an added layer of protection. On Sunday, all Highline staff who are working or scheduled to work with students in person had the opportunity to be vaccinated.  Thanks to a partnership with St. Anne Hospital, almost 1,000 people received their first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine.

Nearly every Highline employee on the list to get a vaccination was able to get one. Staff are working with anyone who was missed to make sure they are vaccinated. There were enough doses on Sunday to vaccinate many other staff members, as well.

For more information about hybrid learning, please visit our website at: highlineschools.org/return-to-learn/hybrid-learning.

Additional back-to-school resources about transportation, safety expectations, school safety plan, health screening form, masks and more can be found at highlineschools.org/backtoschool.