Evergreen district: Remote school will continue through Jan. 28

Evergreen Public Schools announced Wednesday that remote learning will continue for all grades through Jan. 28, the end of the first semester in Clark County’s largest district.

In an email addressed to families and staff, Superintendent Mike Merlino said rising COVID-19 cases led the district to put plans of transitioning more grades into hybrid learning on hold.

Select high-needs students receiving hybrid instruction in small groups, including kindergartners, will continue in-person school without interruption, the district added.

“I am very hopeful the promising news of vaccines brings us closer to returning to school,” Merlino said. “We have learned many lessons during this time in remote learning and will use these to make our instruction delivery even stronger.”

Merlino said Wednesday’s announcement allows for program delivery stability the next two months and gives families a concrete date to facilitate planning. He added the district will continue to monitor case levels and updates from government and health officials to inform changes for the district’s second semester, which starts Feb. 1.

Last week, Battle Ground Public Schools announced high school students will remain in remote learning through Jan. 29, the end of the district’s first semester. District spokesperson Rita Sanders said Wednesday that the district is planning for a possible hybrid transition during the second semester and continues to watch state metrics for when its primary and middle school students can begin hybrid learning.