Ask SPS

Yes, disposable face coverings are available if a student forgets theirs.

I think that most school dress codes discourage tops with spaghetti straps, but each school sets its own dress code.

Hi Stacy, Please connect with your student's counselor or principal to talk about options. We are working hard to support the wishes of all our families.

Hi Lori, The hybrid model is being used to reduce student populations in schools to meet health & safety requirements. In the older grades, there's just not enough room in schools for all the students to attend at the same time while maintaining a safe social distance. Hybrid learning can provide unique opportunities to give students strategies and structures, such as self-management, they will use throughout their life. If you haven't already, please take a few minutes to listen to this podcast on hybrid learning with education consultant Jeff Utecht.

Hi Pamela, We are awaiting guidance from OSPI (the state superintendent's office). We have heard that they have submitted a waiver to the US Dept. of Education to not administer the SBAC this spring, but have not heard any guidance yet from the new administration as they transition in. As more guidance comes out, we will make sure to let schools, students, and families know.

As of today, Feb. 17, all middle and high schoolers will be returning to in-person learning on a hybrid (A/B) schedule starting March 1. Details about an informational webinar will be sent to families tonight. Busses are and will be running -- please register your student to ride the bus here. A cloth mask is fine, or a gaiter if it has two layers.
Thanks for reaching out with your questions!

Hi Adam, If you move out of district, you would need to apply to the SPS school you'd like your child to attend. Find out more here.

Hi Andrea, You are right that each school building principal makes an individual decision whether or not to have outdoor recess. The decision is based on a number of factors including, but not limited to, temperature, wind chill, precipitation, and the ability of students to dress for the conditions. So, there's not really a specific temperature that means "no recess." Administrators often refer to the wind chill chart here to help determine if outdoor activities are appropriate for staff and students. If you have concerns, please talk with your student's principal.

Kindergarten registration starts March 1.

If you are interested in having your student continue in a virtual environment, please connect with the school counselor to discuss options.

Hi Teresa, At this point, people who qualify have been sent the necessary sign-up info.

Hi Lori, These are great questions. Would you mind letting us know what school and class this happened in so we can follow up and get more details about the situation?

On Feb. 2, Dr. Mark Anderson sent an email to all staff that contained this information: "Preparations for Phasing All Students and Staff Back for In-Person Instruction As you know, this summer SPS formed a Safe School Reopening Task Force that developed our reopening plan in accordance with state and local health guidance to help bring students and staff back to schools safely. To date, SPS has returned kindergarten through third grade staff and students back to school for in-person learning with successfully and with great success. And fourth grade will return on Wednesday, February 3rd and 5th/6th on February 17. "

If it is a service dog, absolutely.

For other dogs (or animals in general), we discourage it, as some students are allergic to or scared of dogs. And, sometimes even the nicest dogs will bite out of fear. (All of the dogs that are currently allowed in schools, like therapy dogs, are thoroughly screened). Principals have the authority to restrict access to the campus if they believe it is a safety issue. Kid and staff safety comes first!

Dog owners should also be aware that Washington state law specifically addresses their responsibility if their dog bites someone on public property.

If you absolutely need to bring your dog on campus, please wait off to the side and don't let other children pet your dog. Thanks for your question!

Hi Jen, The director of Nutrition Services for SPS is Doug Wordell: DougW@spokaneschools.org or 509.354.7391.

When students return to in-person learning, free meals are available to them at school. Thanks for asking!

Sorry, SPS provides unrestricted email accounts (meaning ones that would let you email classmates) only to students in grades 8 -12. Please check with your teacher for other ways to connect with classmates.

Hi Sunny, We are working to support the various needs of our students and families. Please connect with the counselor at your child's school to discuss your concerns and school options for your student.

Yes, coaches will received their full stipend if they work the full scheduled season. Although the seasons are shorter, the safety protocols, training, facilities oversight & cleaning and other COVID-related documentation and processes are required to be followed. Also, we anticipate very altered and possibly additional practice times as we navigate distancing guidelines and facilities. Very different work this year, but equally challenging.

Hi Armin, Small groups of students have been meeting at schools, including Shadle, since school started in September. Please contact Shadle Park directly at 354-6700 to ask specifically about your son.

Hi, Thanks for your question. Currently elementary schools have students in grades K-4 attending school from 8:30 a.m.-2:25 p.m.The City programs and maintains the flashing lights, with input from SPS on school start and end times. The lights have to be manually programmmed at each light.

If the light is flashing, definitely assume kids are around. And, even if the lights are not flashing, it's a good practice to slow down in school zones ALL the time, just in case school starts later or ends earlier for some reason (like delayed starts during snow).

Hi Graham, Please contact the office staff at your children's schools. You can email or call -- whichever is most convenient for you.

Hi Gloria, The graduation date for LC is currently scheduled to be Sunday, June 13, at noon. It is subject to change, however, based on guidance from health professionals.

Hi William, Please connect with your child's school counselor. Thank you.

Correct, we have already bargained the MOU and that is what is in place.

Hi Brad, Coaches are part of the Extracurricular Collective Bargaining Agreement with our union partners. Here is the language from the MOU signed last fall: “Extracurricular stipends will be made available and compensated based on the salary schedule for athletic and non-athletic activities should the activity occur. Should a sport or non-athletic activity be stopped and cancelled within one (1) week of the activity start coaches/activity leaders will receive twenty-five percent (25%) of the stipend.”

Hi Martha, I shared your questions with Adams Principal Beth Nye. Here is her response:

"Thanks, Martha, for the questions. Traffic and parking congestion have always been a challenge at Adams. The turnout area on 36th is designated as a 3-minute drop off/pick up. Over the years, our community has begun using this space to park, often arriving 30-45 minutes early to secure a spot. Our goal is to return this space back to a quick pick up/drop off area. Our current process is that at dismissal, kids come down to the street and we ask them to space out socially distanced along the wall. As families drive by heading east, we help students enter the passenger side of the vehicle. If the student is not in this area, we ask the car to continue on and to either park or circle back around.

In previous years, with cars parked in the turnout, we found that drivers would often double park or stop in the road to call students over, requiring them to walk between the parked cars. Without cars parked in this turnout, drivers now have an unobstructive view of students and staff can safely assist students to cars. While it does create a slight pause in traffic to get students in the car, it is our hope that the pause is less impactful on traffic flow than previously when we had to stop, and often direct, traffic as cars to pulled up to and away from the curb.

I do not pretend to think that this will solve all of our traffic issues on 36th. We are simply trying something new in an attempt to create a safer situation for children and better traffic flow for drivers. I encourage you to reach out to me so I can answer additional questions and hear any brainstorms you may have."

The Adams main number is 509.354.2000.

Hi Jen, All of our guidance is approved by Spokane Regional Health District. That said, the source is a mixture of SRHD and WA Department of Health (both of which often refer back to CDC).

Hi Sarah, The school counselor would be a good person to connect with.

Hi Kris, When it was determined that students would begin the year doing distance learning and considering the unique needs of this school year, the calendar was changed a bit this sumer and no makeup days were built in for this school year

Hi Jen, There is no school on Monday, Feb. 1. June 21 and 22 are the designated makeup days for Jan. 13 and 14 when school was closed due to high winds and power outages.

Hello, Apologies for the delay in responding. I shared your question with Scott Kerwien, director of Technology and Information, and director of College and Career Readiness. He responded:

"Thank you for reaching out and conveying your thinking around a very challenging concept. There are a lot of variables and nuance, but the general thinking behind the use of any number from 0-50% (or only 50-100%) is explored in this article – The Zero Effect (from a teacher’s perspective). The 100 point/percentage scale over inflates the F and using the 50% is an attempt to eliminate this, not deincentive the student from completing assignments.

•      Particularly this part: “Now, imagine that my student has five recorded scores: three missing assignments, one B and one A. In many classes, her grades look as follows: 0, 0, 0, 17/20, 19/20, bringing her total grade to 36/100, a daunting F.”
  

Historically there are drastically different grading practices between each individual teacher and their subsequent curricular classes they teach. Some teachers prioritize assignments over tests/quizzes/assessments and some “weight” their gradebooks with varying importance on various items.

One example from an educator’s experience is when an educational company came into a middle school (non-SPS) and displayed a sample assessment – some multiple choice, some true/false, some short answer – and asked all the teachers in the room:

•      “If this was your assessment how many points would you assign to each section? Now, here is a picture of what the student missed on this sample assessment. How many of you depending on your amount of points in each section of the assessment would give this student an A? B? (and so on).”
  

o That particular staff, regardless of curricular area, spread grades for this sample student and sample assessment all across the grades A-F. (Some As, some Bs….some Fs).

The example above brings to light how much variation there is for every teacher in how they approach grading with each student. Remote learning has brought numerous challenges for teachers and students to connect around school and what it means for a student to show what they are learning.

There is a growing question among SPS teachers in MS and HS about how to grade and truly convey a student’s knowledge, especially from an equity lens since there are students without reliable internet access and logistics at home that prevent them from regularly attending virtual classroom sessions. Some of the notable ideas teachers have mentioned are students being able to retake quizzes, turn in late work, and use the 50-100% grading scale to ensure that all students have the opportunity to show their learning and continue to work toward showing that learning – while maintaining hope.

For teachers who use the 50-100% grading practice, students may very well still not do much and earn between a 50-59% earning them a F, but for students who are balancing a lot of stress and trauma, earning a 50% instead of a zero in the gradebook still gives them a fighting chance to earn a passing overall grade.

I hope that allows for a little bit of insight into a very large conversation that is hard to summarize for all teachers."

Hi Warren, I'm not sure what you mean. Here is a [copy of the ballot](https://www.spokaneschools.org/cms/lib/WA50000187/Centricity/Domain/13/SPS Feb 9 2021 Levy Ballot.pdf). You can also find answers to frequently asked levy questions on our levy FAQ page. Hope that helps!

Hi Christine, The Collective Bargaining Agreement for our certificated staff members, as well as the Collective Bargaining Agreements for our other employee groups, are publicly available on our website on the Human Resources page. Employment and working conditions are dictated by this agreement which is batgained with the Spokane Education Association (the union representing certificated staff members). You’ll find a table of contents which will help you to quickly identify where to find the information to answer your questions. Thank you for your interest in Spokane Public Schools as we seek to provide the best learning environment for our children.

Hi Jerry, You can find information about our health and safety requirements, as well as how we're responding to potential and confirmed cases of COVID-19 here.

Hi Tricia, Makeup dates have not yet been decided. We will share that information as soon as we can.

Hi Jen, Thanks for your questions. This comes from SPS Health Director Becky Doughty: "There are currently no mandates for staff or students to receive the vaccine—I haven’t even heard any conversations about the possibility down the road. There would need to be enough supply to meet all demand prior to it ever becoming mandatory."

Hi Brad, Yes, any savings from not having sports and in-person extracurricular activities would remain in the General Fund to help in other ways. The contracts for HS Athletic Directors and MS Athletic Coordinators were renewed for the 2020/21 school year and these employees have been supporting their building, students & families in various ways during these unique times.

The district general fund budget continues to pay for the regular operating costs. Additional costs above the normal/budgeted operating costs due to COVID-19 protocols will continue to be incurred with students attending in-person instruction and additional students returning to in-person instruction. SPS has been awarded federal funding to pay for increased costs and/or lost revenue due to COVID-19. This federal funding cannot be used for normal operating costs, only additional costs incurred as a result of COVID-19. Each source of federal funding has an application process and reporting of actual expenditures before SPS is reimbursed. SPS was awarded federal CARES/ESSER funding directly and additional support from City of Spokane and Spokane County CARES funding as follows:

*Funding flowed through OPSI has been and will continue to be used to provide additional staffing to support lower class sizes for social distancing, staffing for Spokane Virtual Academy (remote learning option for the school year), technology accessories, software, PPE cleaning supplies and signage and educational materials for COVID-19 protocols. The most recent federal funding approved will also be flowed to school districts by OSPI. Information on the new award and allowable uses of the funds is not yet published. *Funding received from the City was used to award Day Camp scholarships to families eligible for free and reduced meal program. *Funding received from the County was used for Day Camp scholarships and technology accessories (i.e. headphones, power cords, etc). In addition, the County has provided personal protective equipment (PPE) to SPS and other school districts in the county.

Hi Eric, Thanks for asking. The law changed a few years ago and now levies do not require a certain number of voters to validate. Levies require a simple majority for passage -- 50%+ of those who vote.

Hi Jen, Cleared volunteers are able to be in buildings at the discretion of the principal, and will be expected to complete the visitor health check and abide by the COVID safety guidelines (mask wearing, hand washing, and social distancing). Please reach out to your building principal to see if any help is needed. (There may also be projects or materials preparation that can be done from home.) Thanks for asking!

Hi Jamie, That's a great question. We will continue to follow the state vaccination rules. We have not heard about making the vaccine—or testing—mandatory at this time.

Hi Haley, Thanks for your question. We are continuing to follow the guidance and direction of public health officials. Our intent is to return to in-person instruction as soon as possible when it is determined safe. Our current plan, pending key phasing-in considerations, has high schoolers returning to in-person learning on a hybrid model March 1.

Thanks for your question. The information you are requesting will be available at the end of the semester, Jan. 29, so that we can provide the most accurate data. Please complete a public records request for the data you’re interested in receiving. Thank you!

Thanks for reaching out to Ask SPS. We fully intend to have all students back in school as soon as it is safe to do, following guidance from health officials. The word "tentative" is intended to remind people that conditions during this pandemic are quite fluid. Today, it seems reasonable to have secondary students back in school starting March 1; in coming weeks, COVID rates may change drastically. I am so sorry that you do not feel heard. Your previous questions have been posted -- they are about 8 questions down in the list -- and those answers should have been emailed to you as well. You may need to look for them in your spam folder. I have not posted your husband's, as it seemed like more of a comment than an actual question. I urge you and your husband to connect with our director of Communications, Sandra Jarrard, at 354-7338, so we can be sure you get all your concerns addressed.

Hi Donna, You would need to contact the state Employment Security Department for information on unemployment benefits for past or present employees. Since our district did not lay anyone off based on school closures, there are no quantified savings to SPS in salaries, benefits, retirement and taxes.

The School Board is scheduled to discuss the district’s reopening process tonight (Jan. 6) at 6 p.m. during a public work session. During the meeting district leadership will be outlining a plan that includes multiple phases for returning grade levels to in-person instruction. Definitive dates will be shared for the phase involving the next group of elementary grades and tentative dates, pending public health guidance, will be identified for phases that include additional elementary grades as well as secondary grades.

Yes, absolutely -- safety of staff and students is always our top concern. In our reopening plan, you'll see several factors to be considered prior to implementing each phase. These include school transmission trends, county case trends, and the fidelity of cleaning standards.