WFIS News
Updates on our advocacy, committee work, legislative policy, and trending topics relevant to member schools.
L.A. first major U.S. school district to require vaccinations for students
Today, Los Angeles became the first major school district in the U.S. to mandate coronavirus vaccines for students 12 and older who are attending class in person. The measure, which passed the district’s Board of Education with broad support, requires students to get...
U.S. states with low vaccination rates see sharp spikes in children with Covid-19
NY Times September 9, 2021 The number of children admitted to the hospital in the United States with Covid-19 has risen to the highest levels reported to date. Nearly 30,000 of them entered hospitals in August. Pediatric hospitalizations, driven by a record rise in...
A judge grants an injunction to end anti-mask protests in Vancouver, Washington
NY Times September 8, 2021 A state judge granted an injunction on Wednesday prohibiting disruptive protests near school campuses after anti-mask demonstrations in a high school in the Washington city of Vancouver resulted in a lockdown. According to a statement from...
Preparing for Wildfire and Smoke Season
The Child Care Health Program of King County has a detailed reminder to talk to teachers about change in daily schedule dictated by air quality due to fires. Things to think about: recess alternatives, kids with asthma, and air inside buildings.
In most of Washington, fewer than 1/3 of eligible kids are COVID-19 vaccinated
Current data shows that in most of the state’s counties, fewer than a third of eligible kids ages 12 and up are vaccinated against COVID-19. This has some public health experts and officials on alert. In most Washington counties, the majority of eligible children haven’t initiated COVID-19 vaccination. King and San Juan counties are the only places where more than 60% of 12- to 17-year-olds have started their vaccine series.
Updated School Guidance is here
WFIS has pulled some of the key highlights from the WA State Department of Health Summary of July 28, 2021 Changes for schools to grasp below. As always, we encourage everyone to read the full guidance and bring questions and concerns to WFIS for further...
COVID metric prediction for fall in WA
Not quite 4 weeks into the full reopening of Washington State, the tides are turning as schools are preparing to reopen in September and wondering what state leaders will be authorizing for the return to in-person learning.
What’s the latest on a COVID-19 vaccine for kids?
More than half a year has passed since the first COVID-19 vaccine with almost half the US having it’s protection, but there still isn’t one for children younger than 12. Dr. Jeff Gerber, infectious disease specialist at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, is leading one of the trials and explains how the vaccines are being adapted for kids.
4-day school weeks: Educational innovation or detriment?
National and state-specific research finds minimal impacts of the four-day school week on overall cost savings, but it suggests that four-day school weeks may allow school districts greater resource flexibility in the wake of budget shortfalls. The four-day school week may also be used as a form of non-monetary compensation to facilitate instructional cost reductions, as research finds that teachers generally prefer it.
Parents returning to work, but child care industry continues struggle with COVID-19 impact
As Seattle begins to emerge from the pandemic, the city’s child care providers say they are short-staffed and underfunded. DCYF has estimated 104 providers — 4,607 childcare spots — are closed, but the true count is likely larger as figures used are not current.