By Susan Riemer

The state’s public schools have been closed for three weeks to help stop the spread of COVID-19, while students have opted in — and out — of optional educational activities teachers have provided. Beginning next week, students at Vashon’s public schools will join others across the state in transitioning to a more structured model of remote learning with clear expectations given for participation.

The school closures have interrupted the education of 55 million students in the United States, according to Education Week, which tracks the closures. It has been a challenging time for many students and families, who are faced with school suddenly taking place at home amid the many other pressures the pandemic has created.

On Monday afternoon, Gov. Jay Inslee announced schools will not re-open April 24 as originally hoped, but instead will remain closed through the school year. On the island, as district officials plan to educate and support students in the months ahead, they are adhering to the directives the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction sets forth for continuous learning.

Vashon Superintendent Slade McSheehy acknowledged the historic challenges of this time, noting the district will continue responding to feedback and make changes as needed. Currently, district officials are determining how grading and assessments will take place at the secondary levels, with a decision expected next week.

McSheehy also looked toward next fall, with students in every grade having missed out on a portion of their education this year.

“We are going to do what we always have done, and that is, take kids where they are,” he said. “Teachers will assess students and do what they have always done, which is keep them moving forward.”

Principals at the district’s three schools recently sent emails to families, providing a road map of what is ahead, beginning next week.

At Chautauqua Elementary School, the plan includes teachers providing paper learning packets and online lessons, which will increase over time from two to three per week to about six, Principal Rebecca Goertzel said. Students will not be required to watch the lessons, but encouraged. A limited number of assignments will be given and monitored so that teachers can gauge student progress and participation, and families can balance their home lives without being burdened by large amounts of schoolwork. Optional learning invitations will continue to be provided.

The amount of time spent on academic work will vary by grade: about an hour a day for students in kindergarten and first grade increasing up to two hours for grades four and five, with the focus on reading, writing, science and math. Support teams are available to provide additional support to students who need it.

Islanders Michelle and Seth Ressler have been navigating this time with their first and third-grade sons, who attend Chautauqua, and their daughter, who is 1.

“We are taking every day as it comes,” Michelle said, noting there have been both challenges and rewards in recent weeks.

The family has been trying to keep a schedule, with breakfast, followed by schoolwork, then outside time, lunch and more schoolwork. But no two days flow exactly the same. And the boys do not understand how Seth can be working while he is at home.

“It is evolving,” Seth said.

Michelle agreed.

“We are learning things every day.”

The boys are different from one another, the parents said, with one finishing all his recommended work in a short time and the other easily bored. Both boys miss their friends.

Seth noted the boys respond differently to their teachers than their parents, and both he and Michelle welcome the coming change.

“I am excited about it. It will be easier on them and us,” Michelle said. “I think it will be nice to have that structure. … It will feel more like a school experience rather than being home and doing work your parents are making you do.”

They also praised the teachers for their work and attention.

“I think the teachers have gone above and beyond what I would have expected,” Seth said, noting they have heard even from the music and gym teachers. “They all seem concerned about how the kids are reacting to this.”

At McMurray, the transition to expected schoolwork will include a focus on core classes, Principal Greg Allison told families in his recent email. The plan is for teachers to provide one and a half hours of course work per week, per class. Electives will provide enrichment opportunities, and teachers and counselors will offer supplemental social-emotional learning activities. Teacher communications about expected learning activities will be on a schedule, each subject on a set day.

Jennifer Schill is a West Seattle parent with a child in sixth grade at McMurray and another in ninth grade at Vashon High School. Both students are typically busy with commuting, school and other activities and have enjoyed the slower pace.

“I think they love it,” Schill said.

But it has been a big adjustment, and both kids miss their friends.

Schill has chosen to let her kids’ schooling in recent weeks be largely their responsibility, especially her oldest child. They have not done all the optional work, but she has engaged them in a lot of “home learning”: cooking, cleaning and other chores.

It took them about a week and a half to develop a routine of reading, writing and arithmetic, she said: math for an hour, then a small project, followed by audiobooks and some journaling at the end of the day.

Schill has questioned if she should be more involved but stands by her decision.

“Even for kids, this is an unsettling time. I want to be a safe harbor and offer loving support. I do not want to invite a lot of conflict and power struggles because it is so stressful as it is. None of us need more stress,” she said.

She, too, believes the coming changes at the school district will be positive for her family.

“I think it will be a little bit better,” she said. “Expectations will be passed on from the school. … It will provide some structure to this situation, and it will be nice to have more guidance.”

At the high school, the plan is similar to McMurray’s; on different days of the week, learning expectations will be released, teachers will provide online sessions and work will be due.

“Our primary motivation is the academic and emotional wellbeing of our students as we make our way through coronageddon together,” Principal Danny Rock wrote in his recent email to families.

The intent of the coming changes is to spread the work out for students and families, with predictable and manageable communication, and provide enough time for teachers and support staff to connect with students, Rock said.

For Vashon High School senior Mari Kanagy, recent weeks have been a big departure from her typical busy schedule with school, sports and work.

“Now just being home with family and not being able to see other people has definitely been tricky,” she said.

She has stuck to schoolwork she enjoys, such as reading for English, but said she and many of her classmates have opted out of doing optional work. Even during ordinary times, seniors believe their final semester does not really matter.

“We do not feel super obligated to do a lot of work, which is probably not the best thing,” she said. “As work shifts to mandatory, I will certainly be doing it more than the optional learning.”

She and her classmates — like millions of seniors across the country — are looking toward June and wondering how they will mark the end of high school.

“I know a lot of us are bummed about not having graduation. We are wondering if there will be a ceremony or recognition that will happen,” she said. “Right now we understand there are no firm answers. They cannot tell us anything yet because no one knows how long this will last.”

Addressing that concern, McSheehy said that graduation is one of the largest public events on the island, and he is confident the district will have some type of ceremony to recognize every senior’s accomplishment.

“Our staff care deeply for our seniors and miss them terribly. Over the next few weeks, our talented staff, students and parents will find an alternative solution to our regular commencement ceremony that fully celebrates our seniors,” he said.

Susan Riemer is a volunteer with VashonBePrepared’s Emergency Operations Center and a former editor of The Beachcomber.