Whatcom County school districts fighting battle with COVID to keep students in classrooms

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.”

Bellingham is not alone in its desire to keep students in their buildings rather than trying to teach them at home remotely. Every school district in Whatcom County is walking the very same line.