MONROE, Wash. — Teachers at Monroe’s Frank Wagner Elementary School were back on school grounds Wednesday to hand out Chromebooks and extra learning materials to students to help with distance learning.
Washington Gov. Jay Inslee and state schools Superintendent Chris Reykdal announced Monday that due to the coronavirus outbreak schools will remain physically closed for the remainder of the school year.
The announcement meant the state’s more than 1.2 million public and private K-12 students will continue distance learning until the end of June.
Officials said roughly 70 percent of the school’s students are on free and reduced lunches and many families would not have been able to afford a laptop on their own.
The Chromebooks will become each student’s classroom and school officials said they are extra important for some of their most vulnerable students.
The next step is to make sure students in remote areas are able to connect online, but it’s a problem that teachers and students said they’re ready to tackle together.