Six-Week Weekend

So, school has been canceled in Washington State. But they go on Monday to maybe get some work sent home...? And, most importantly, be together as a group of kids for what could be the last time until fall. No, really, that's how my brain works. Because, as a Health Educator, my question is, how will we know when it's safe to send kids back to school? At the time of this writing, there are still no positive tests for Coronavirus in Clallam County.

Here's information about the closure from The Washington Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI). The information for Special Education can be found on pages 3-9, but I encourage you to take the time to read the entire document. It's important, especially for parents of kids with special needs.

My husband and I are both college instructors who have been teaching online for the last 13 years. I've been teaching for 18 years; he's been teaching for 28 years (he's older and started earlier). While he does teach face-to-face, beginning tomorrow, March 16, our college is no longer having face-to-face classes. Collectively, faculty has been in the process of creating contingency plans, knowing the closures were coming. As of this writing, we're scheduled to start the Spring Quarter on April 13. We'll see.

And the information changes day-to-day...and sometimes minute to minute...since Washington State Governor Jay Inslee will be signing an order on Monday that's pretty extensive. All to stop the spread of disease...and you know it's true bc your Facebook feed is lighting up with the news. Restaurants and bars? Shutting down for dining in. Take out and delivery is ok. For now. But what if the delivery guy picks his nose, picks up your food bag, and hands you your bag of food, all with the same hand? Germs. You have his germs on that bag. And then you're going to open that bag and feed yourself? Fuck that noise. No thanks.

My husband teaches mathematics...so he's been looking at numbers and slipping me information he knows I can handle...that won't drive my anxiety through the roof...like that if the number of cases were to continue to double every three days, there would be about 100 million people infected in the United States by May. I totally plagiarized his blog, you guys. But, he's legally obligated to let me. And, here's the link he's citing. Check it out. It's worth reading. Unless you have anxiety like I do, then you just listen to what #RandySaid.

And tomorrow is the last day of public school till who knows how long up here in Washington State. Right now, the prediction is that kids will return to school on April 27. Six weeks. Part of me wonders if they'll be out for the remainder of the school year, especilly considering the CDC just said "8 weeks"...and schools in NYC are probably done. 

The boys are supposed to go to school tomorrow and pick up their personal belongings and get some things. But I honestly don't know if I'll send them. For all I know, and as fast as everything has been changing, who knows if anyone will even be permitted to leave their homes tomorrow morning. For real.

Am I anxious? You bet your ass I am. Am I prepared? As much as I can be. I'm doing my best to take one moment at a time, just like I have been doing since my now 13-year-old was diagnosed with epilepsy at the age of four. One. Moment. At. A. Time.