Pullman pupils migrating to rural schools

Garth Meyer, Whitman County Gazette | Nov 19, 20200

COLFAX —With the Pullman school board holding off on a return to in-person education until Jan. 4, some families are looking to send their kids elsewhere in Whitman County.

Colfax Superintendent Jerry Pugh reports 12 students have transferred from Pullman in the last few weeks.

“We’ve had more calls than that,” he said.

He explained the decisions to allow the outside students to the school board Nov. 9.

“In talking to the principals, where we can add a few here, add a few there, that’s what we’re going to do,” Pugh said. “We still have social distancing requirements ourselves.”

He noted that the district will be careful to not overfill, for the future, so all students can be accommodated in Colfax when they go to school every day again. As of now, for grades 7-12, half of the alphabet is in person two days per week, and the other half another two days per week. Elementary students go in-person full time.

A choice transfer application is done electronically, dated and stamped.

“It’s not who-you-know. It’s as fair as fair can be,” said Pugh.

In Colton, the school board voted in August not to allow any choice transfers this year, based on the recommendation of Superintendent Paul Clark.

Now the school gets two to three calls per day from people interested in it.

“The only reason is, we could house a hundred extra students in a regular year,” said Clark. “For our safety, and to keep doing what we’re doing, we’re not taking any this year. This is a decision we have to make to keep our community safest. In a normal year, we expect to approve a choice request.”

Clark continued.

“I look at it like driving. When you’re driving, when the weather’s bad, you gotta slow it down and be careful. I just told my parents we won’t be coming for Thanksgiving.”

Colton has gone in-person since the start of the year, with a half-dozen positive Covid-19 tests among students, with other close contacts sent home, too.

“It’s not spreading in our buildings,” said Clark.

Colton football players had to quarantine earlier this fall, after a positive test on the team they played with at Genesee High School.

School continues, nonetheless, with protocols.

“I have used my grouchy voice more times than ever in the last couple months,” Clark said. “Put your mask on! You! Stay six feet apart!”

In Palouse, the phone is ringing, but not as much.

“I don’t see a big influx, at this point,” said Calvin Johnson, superintendent. “We’d be a lot more cautious, now with spacing and general safety. That’s the boat we’re in.”

By coincidence, Palouse has now lost classroom space in the pre-K to fifth/sixth-grade, east wing of the school to a water leak, for the past two weeks. It is expected to be unusable until after Thanksgiving.

The school has in turn moved classes to the cafeteria and the library.

Johnson reports six positive tests among staff and students in Palouse – none of which were sent home from school, instead those infected had felt symptoms and stayed home.

Aside from that, student contact with family members who have tested positive has led to a two-week quarantine right now for the fifth grade. In Garfield, grades one and two previously went through a two-week quarantine.

Johnson, Palouse principal Mike Jones, and others have covered classes when teachers have been out, since many districts struggle with less substitute teachers willing to work during this time, and teacher’s aides.

“Trying not to mix different people and different rooms,” Johnson said.

In Oakesdale, Superintendent Jake Dingman reports no transfer requests from Pullman.

The district has a long-standing policy not to accept transfer requests. Incidentally, the district is up 32 students since March.

“They bought houses in town. They’re Oakesdale residents,” said Dingman.

The Oakesdale board decided not to accept transfers six years ago.

“As a way to protect our small class sizes,” Dingman said. The district’s largest class is 15 students.

Oakesdale has gone in-person since the start of the 2020-21 school year. Some students have had to quarantine, but no full classes and no teachers or staff has missed time.