^{Written by Harrison Laws}

The spread of COVID-19 (coronavirus) in Washington State has led to quarantine and the subsequent switch to online learning. 

On April 6 Governor Jay Inslee extended the closure of public and private schools until the end of the school year. As of today, 15,594 cases of coronavirus have been reported in Washington State, according to the Washington State Department of Health. Additionally, Governor Jay Inslee extended the stay at home order until the end of May, according to the Seattle Times

With no reported end date for the pandemic, some teachers have worried about how COVID-19 will affect job positions this fall. 

 The people who spoke from the district are feeling a bit concerned about how much the district receives from funding. Local businesses provide a lot of money to the Bellevue School District. Since many businesses are struggling or have been laying employees off, there may not be enough necessary funding for schools in the fall. They are really trying to make sure there is money in the reserves, said Stevenson Elementary Kindergarten Teacher Megan Moreno. 

Though nothing official has been said, many teachers working at Stevenson Elementary are worried that if there are not enough students this fall due to COVID-19 not as many teachers will be needed. This has caused some stress amongst the teachers, said to Moreno.

“People are definitely worried that they will be transferred to another school, be furloughed, or teach a subject they are not comfortable in,” added Moreno. 

 The situation appears to be different at Wilks Elementary School in the Bainbridge Island School District compared to various districts around the state.

“As far as I understand it, there will be no impact on the future school year because of our signed contracts with the districts. We’re still interviewing candidates for positions next school year as if we were still in the building,” said Wilks Elementary School reading intervention teacher Amy Jernigan.

Though the teachers not under contract at Wilks Elementary will have to reinterview for a position, according to Jernigan. 

Much of the information around the fall school year will not be available until the Washington Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) makes a statement. “I have heard everything from continuing an online model or a staggered school day. We probably won’t know until August,” added Jernigan.

For teachers that are not under contract or that have recently become eligible to teach it can be a stressful time.

Professors of Washington State University College of Education courses have discussed switching into a half in-class and half-online program. This may have an effect on student teaching positions, according to WSU College of Education Senior Katheryn Sheppard. 

“I am slightly worried about finding a full-time teaching job. There are always substitute jobs though and other tutoring or part-time jobs I could work while searching for a better one,” said Sheppard.

“It is hard to say. Most school districts don’t know how they will proceed next year. Some teachers have been laid off at the school my mom teaches at in California,” added Shepard.

There have not been widespread reductions in the workforce across Washington state school districts. Though drops in enrollment, spikes in salary, and low retirement rates are all factors that led to layoffs in the Tacoma, Edmonds, and Evergreen school districts, according to the  Seattle Times.

“Before Covid-19 there were job fairs that were set up where I was going to have the opportunity to meet with districts and look for a job. But once everything started to happen with COVID-19, all hiring events were canceled. So I am not even certain if I have a job next year,” said Issaquah School District longterm first-grade substitute teacher Shayla Anderson.

“COVID-19 changed everything for my teaching… My favorite part of my job, like many other teachers, is being able to interact with kids every day and doing that through a computer is not the same. The way that I teach has completely changed, now I pre-record all my lessons and send them to families. I am nervous about what will happen next year and if I will even get a job,” said Anderson.

Anderson who graduated from Washington State University College of Education with a major in Elementary Education has faced trouble securing a full-time position. “At the moment I have been applying to positions online but have not heard what the hiring process will look like when we are still practicing social distancing,” added Anderson.

For more resources, information, and updates on how COVID-19 affects districts and district personnel visit https://www.k12.wa.us/about-ospi/. For official information and updates on COVID-19 visit https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/

I interviewed a source Megan Morano from my last story to get any updates. Apparently in a meeting teachers at her school said that funds are going to be cut and it is likely going to affect the hiring of new teachers. So from there, I got inspired to write about the effect COVID-19 will have on jobs for the foreseeable future. I sent a public records request to King County.gov on the number of cases in the last two months by Hospital to get a better sense of cases per neighbor, seeing which places are affected the most. I am also going to reach out to Brian White who is the head of the health section at MSN news for more information.

Public Records Request Form

Apr 21 2020

King County

King County Courthouse 516 Third Avenue Seattle, WA 98104

Dear King County,

Pursuant to the state open records law Wash. Rev. Code Secs. 42.56.001 to 42.56.904, I write to request access to and a copy of Data on the number of COVID -19 case reports submitted by each Health Care Facility in King County, broken up by facility and date by month from March 10t, 2020 to April 21, 2020. If your agency does not maintain these public records, please let me know who does and include the proper custodian’s name and address.

I agree to pay any reasonable copying and postage fees of not more than $1. If the cost would be greater than this amount, please notify me. Please provide a receipt indicating the charges for each document.

As provided by the open records law, I will expect your response within five (5) business days. See Wash. Rev. Code Sec. 42.56.520.

If you choose to deny this request, please provide a written explanation for the denial including a reference to the specific statutory exemption(s) upon which you rely. Also, please provide all segregable portions of otherwise exempt material.

I would note that violation of the open records law can result in a fine — payable to me — of up to $100 for each day that I am denied access. Litigation costs, including reasonable attorney fees, may also be awarded. See Wash. Rev. Code Sec. 42.56.550(4).

Thank you for your assistance.

Sincerely,

Harrison Laws

REDACTED

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https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/leisure/article/3080465/van-gogh-frida-kahlo-6-top-virtual-museum-and-gallery-tours

https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/newsletter/2020-04-04/essential-arts-art-and-pandemic-how-artists-and-institutions-essential-arts

https://www.spokesman.com/stories/2020/apr/06/new-wsu-college-of-nursing-dean-mary-koithan-on-ta/

Due to the spread of COVID-19 (coronavirus) throughout the United States, all non-essential people have been advised to self-quarantine.

At least 124,000 U.S. public and private schools have been closed due to the coronavirus, according to Education Week. Due to Washington being the first state with a confirmed case in the U.S., schools within the state were quick to transition to online learning. 

For some, the transition online has been easy, while others have struggled with the digital format.

“I already make individual course websites because of past issues with Blackboard, and it’s fun for me to do things like make diagrams in Illustrator or use typography and color to make certain content stand out,” said Washington State University Clinical Associate Professor Lisa Waananen Jones. 

Even with a background in digital media, the transition was not perfect. Jones is familiar with grading and answering emails at home, but teaching at home has proved to be difficult. A large factor is the lack of quiet spaces in a busy house. Having two kids who want to play all day makes it hard to host uninterrupted Zoom meetings throughout the day, said Jones.

Digital educational instruction is taking place at all levels of education. While it seems universities and school districts around the state were quick to help teachers best respond to the crisis. The lack of organization around online learning seems to be the main problem many have with how it has been carried out.

At Stevenson, most teachers are expected to use Microsoft Teams in order to disseminate information. A large problem a lot of teachers are running into seems to be a lack of understanding of how to navigate these online resources by both the teacher and student.

Teachers at Stevenson have been expected to have Teams set up for the last two weeks while supplementing enough content for their students. The problem is a lot of these kids do not have the literacy or media skills to open all the emails and assignments, or let alone find and respond to the questions said, Stevenson Elementry Kindergarten Teacher Megan Moreno. 

“I think it’s challenging because kindergarten, and so much of elementary school is socially based and [many of our students with] IEP’s (individualized educational plans) their goals are social. So, it just kinda feels like this whole second half of their year is lost,” said Moreno.

These early educational years are fundamental to the development of a child’s social, emotional, and cognitive needs in order to build a strong foundation for future education and growth, according to National University. 

The online model will have an impact on her teaching in terms of suiting individual needs, said Wilks Elementary School reading intervention teacher Amy Jernigan. 

In Jernigan’s case, immediacy is integral in order to provide her individualized instruction to those who struggle with reading. While Jernigan believes the quarantine affects students’ education, “what is most important [right now] is that the students are healthy and feel safe.”

For O’Dea High School senior Logan Johnson the online curriculum has been everything but seamless. The faculty and students at the private school in Seattle have been using Microsoft Teams to teach. 

For him, online learning on this platform has been stressful due to confusion around due dates and how Microsoft Teams is organized. Though it seems like other schools in the area are having similar problems, added Johnson.

“I feel like I have to be plugged into my laptop or phone at all waking hours,” said WSU Clinical Associate Professor Rebecca Cooney. “I often get up early and work late and weekends are now just a continuation of the workweek. It has impacted my posture, my energy level, and my sleep patterns. It is not that I am more stressed, it is that I am un-rested and un-restful.”

Educators like Cooney understand that many are having trouble with the online format. To better equip her peers Cooney has been releasing a microblog series titled “Online Teaching Tips”. Her current goal is to write two to three new posts each week.

Going forward it seems most educators plan to stay on course for the year while adapting content with each insight to better fit the online model. While online learning is still a work in process, it appears that many educators are hard at work supplementing content to best fit the educational needs of their students. 

For more information, updates, and resources on how the COVID-19 affects schools and school personnel go to https://www.ed.gov/coronavirus.

by Harrison Laws

LEGISLATURE POSTPONED FUNDING SEXUAL ASSAULT NURSE TRAINING IN EASTERN WASHINGTON

Washington State Legislation was formed to fund sexual assault training for nurses at Washington State University. The bill was read in committee this year but will be suspended until the next session.

According to the office of Rep. Eileen Cody, a $300,000. proviso was put forth for the bill in the supplemental budget this month.

Stated by the Washington State Legislative site, House Bill 1942 sets to establish a program at Washinton State University to increase the availability of sexual assault nurse examiner (SANE) training in under-resourced and rural areas of the state, with online and clinical training as well as scholarships for nurses to complete the training.

“Often if you don’t have a SANE nurse do the sexual assault kit exam… that forensic evidence is often able to be dismissed in court and the perpetrator walks…There is a shortage of SANE nurses across the nation, not just in our state. The only place you can be certified is at Harbor View Medical Center in Seattle,” said Rep. Gina Mosbrucker the primary sponsor of HB 1942.

This lack of accessibility to SANE training makes it difficult for nurses, especially in rural areas of the state to receive certification. In order for a nurse to get certified in Washington state, they have to make it to Seattle for a five-day course. This can be expensive and inconvenient for nurses that operate in Eastern Washington.

According to Rep. Mosbrucker, one of the challenges many small hospitals face, especially critical care hospitals is to let a nurse leave to complete the five-day training. Even if a hospital is willing to let you go to Seattle for training, they usually don’t have a nurse that can cover that shift. Additionally, it can be expensive you have fuel and the expense of a hotel for five days. Many of nurses have children, so they’re paying additional costs for daycare or a sitter.

According to the Department of Commerce report, Tri-StateMemorial Hospital and the Othello Community Hospital only have three SANE nurses trained, compared to the Pullman Regional Hospital with 14 trained.

First-year nursing student Jenna VanSanford currently studies at WSU, Spokane. According to VanSanford, “as a nurse, you never know what you’re going to walk into on that day and you can’t plan for something like that. So if you have a patient that you start talking to and realize an assault has happened I think having tools in place that are standardized to figure out what needs to be done would be really important.”

Supporters of the bill are eager to keep fighting for the bill to pass in the next section. For more information on HB 1942 go toLEGISLATURE POSTPONED FUNDING SEXUAL ASSAULT NURSE TRAINING IN EASTERN WASHINGTON

Washington State Legislation was formed to fund sexual assault training for nurses at Washington State University. The bill was read in committee this year but will be suspended until the next session.

According to the office of Rep. Eileen Cody, a $300,000 Proviso was put forth for the bill in the supplemental budget this month.

Stated by the Washington State Legislative site, House Bill 1942 sets to establish a program at Washinton State University to increase the availability of sexual assault nurse examiner (SANE) training in under-resourced and rural areas of the state, with online and clinical training as well as scholarships for nurses to complete the training.

“Often if you don’t have a SANE nurse do the sexual assault kit exam… that forensic evidence is often able to be dismissed in court and the perpetrator walks…There is a shortage of SANE nurses across the nation, not just in our state. The only place you can be certified is at Harbor View Medical Center in Seattle,” said Rep. Gina Mosbrucker the primary sponsor of HB 1942.

This lack of accessibility to SANE training makes it difficult for nurses, especially in rural areas of the state to receive certification. In order for a nurse to get certified in Washington state, they have to make it to Seattle for a five-day course. This can be expensive and inconvenient for nurses that operate in Eastern Washington.

According to Rep. Mosbrucker, one of the challenges many small hospitals face, especially critical care hospitals is to let a nurse leave to complete the five-day training. Even if a hospital is willing to let you go to Seattle to train, they usually don’t have a nurse that can cover that shift. On top of that, it can be expensive, you have fuel, the expense of a hotel for five days, many of them have children so they’re paying for daycare and trying to find someone to watch their child or children.

According to the Department of Commerce report, Tri-State Memorial Hospital and the Othello Community Hospital only have three SANE nurses trained, compared to the Pullman Regional Hospital with 14 trained.

First-year nursing student Jenna VanSanford currently studies at WSU, Spokane. According to VanSanford, “as a nurse, you never know what you’re going to walk into on that day and you can’t plan for something like that. So if you have a patient that you start talking to and realize an assault has happened I think having tools in place that are standardized to figure out what needs to be done would be really important.”

Supporters of the bill are eager to keep fighting for the bill to pass in the next section. For more information on HB 1942 go to https://app.leg.wa.gov/billsummary1942.

https://www.forbes.com/sites/timothyjmcclimon/2020/03/09/where-have-all-the-arts-grants-gone/?ss=arts#7c44abb73396

February 25, 2020

Washington State Legislation Bill formed to set up a Statewide Office of Equity has moved from the House to the Senate.

According to Washington State Legislature, in January 2019 House Bill 1783 was first read to the Washington State Government. Though the bill was put on second reading, suspending it until this past January.

On Jan. 13, 2020, the bill was reintroduced, seven days later it moved from the House to the Senate.

House Bill 1783 is sponsored by State Rep. Mia Su-Ling Gregerson-Dahle. The bill intends to set up a statewide office of equity for Washington State.

Through assistance, promotion, collaboration, and community outreach, and to develop policies to maintain a diverse and inclusive environment. The focus of the Equity Office is to expedite statewide policy and systemic change to facilitate equitable policies, practices, and results, according to the Bills Fiscal Note Package.

 “As you know the Bill didn’t make it to the floor last year, what comes with that is a burning desire to talk about these things and deal with them and work on them in a way that brings everybody along… We have been working so hard on it hopefully the Senate will follow suit,” said Rep. Gregerson

The bill has been supported by Washington State Governor Jay Inslee and over 50 different organizations.

Currently, the bill has been introduced to the State Senate and is in the committee phase.

According to the bills Fiscal Note Package, “The Office of Equity (Equity Office) [will be established] within the Office of the Governor, to promote access to equitable opportunities and resources that reduce disparities and improve outcomes statewide across state government.”

At Washington State University the Office of Outreach and Education is working on the mandate to train, provide workshops, activities, and practices around equity and diversity for WSU staff, students, and the Pullman-Moscow community.

The Office helps underrepresented students, white students, or international students to understand that the world is a global society and that they have to learn to work with people who may have different thoughts, different opinions, and different feelings.

The Office of Equity could reinforce the practices of the Office of Outreach and Education in the WSU community. According to Dr. Allen Contilleyu Sutton Executive Director of the Office of Outreach and Education, “It would help if it eventually started trickling down toward more local governments, it would impact Washington State and our office. Our office will be offering training for the community and local governments and I think [the offices] will go hand in hand with the push from the state level.”

On the WSU campus the Gender Identity, Expression, and Sexual Orientation Resource Center (GIESORC) serves and supports LGBTQ+ students, faculty, staff, and alumni throughout the WSU system by providing resources, fostering community building, and relevant initiatives, according to GEISORC.

Additionally, GIESORC serves the larger community around WSU campus and community through advocacy, education, and alliance furthering equity and accessibility throughout the University.

Along with the bill “Jay Inslee recently put together an LGBTQ+ commission and so it seems like there is a deep dedication and reverence for knowing that we need to change our practices to make a more equitable society,” said Matthew Jefferies Director of the Gender Identity, Expression, and Sexual Orientation Resource Center.

The Office of Equity is set to be launched on Jul. 1, 2020.  As of today, the bill is scheduled for an executive session in the Senate Committee for Feb. 28. For more details on house bill 1783 go to https://app.leg.wa.gov/billsummary?BillNumber=1783.

I am planning on writing a story covering HB 2754 – 2019-20. This bill addresses the “suicide and addiction crisis among American Indians and Alaska Natives” (HOUSE BILL 2754). The bill was proposed. The bill was first read on January 20, 2020 and is currently not in a committee. I believe this would be a very important topic to cover especially because of how pressing addiction and suicide are. The bill seeks to provide Native American communities with more access to resources to mend these issues. In the bill they state that these health disparities  are a result of historical trauma experienced over multiple generations. 

Another potential story I had in mind was a story covering the act proposed yesterday related to creating the Washington State office of equity. The bill was proposed to the State Government, Tribal Relations & Elections Committee on February 11, 2020.