The return to in-person learning, phase 5 reentry, and the second season of sports were all topics tackled at Central Kitsap School District’s school board study session and regular meeting on Wednesday, March. 10. 

The original plan for bringing back students was to bring back one grade from each the middle and high schools on March 29 and for the remaining grades to follow on April 19.  This plan included no in-person instruction and students would sit in their advisory classrooms and watch their Google Meets from there. 

On March 2, Governor Jay Inslee announced that teachers would be moved to 1b Tier 1, further up the vaccination line. At this rate, educators will have the opportunity to receive both doses of the vaccine by spring break. 

Since this announcement, the original plan was taken back to be rethought and to possibly get students back in school and in-person learning sooner.

“Clearly based on the updated distribution plan, based on the feedback, we acknowledge and own that our conservative starting point, plan one, is no longer an option,” Said Jeremy Monroe, Executive Director of Secondary Education during the school board study session. 

Hundreds of staff members have been vaccinated since last weekend and three weeks from now is their second shot. 

Any staff member displaying symptoms cannot work and it’s unknown how severe the side effects with affect staff following their second shot. The original date for Phase 5 reentry has been moved from March 29 to April 12 with this in mind. 

The new plan is to bring back one grade in each of the middle and high schools on April 12 for two days a week, last names beginning with A-K will attend Monday and Tuesday and last names beginning with L-Z will attend Thursday and Friday. The remaining students will follow on April 19; it’s unknown what this will look like yet but it will include in-person instruction. 

There has been a lot of push from the community and staff for the seniors to be the first grade to return because of the opportunities lost this past year.

According to Conner Huey, Central Kitsap High School ASB president, the prom is currently dated for June 5 at Kiana Lodge. This is subject to change as time goes on.

With the first season of sports is coming to a close,  it was announced earlier this week that families of senior athletes will now be able to attend games for the remainder of season one. According to Erin Prince, the superintendent of CKSD, they’re committed to bringing in spectators for season two.

Season two will include Baseball, Fast Pitch, Golf, Boys Soccer, Girls Tennis and Track and Field. This season will go from March 15 to May 1.

During advisory on March 10, CKHS held a student forum to answer questions about prom, graduation and what progress the school has made since the last forum on racial justice held February 3.

“Immediately after we had our racial justice forum, at our HQ meeting we discussed a lot of the concerns and comments that were brought up along with that,” Huey, ASB president, said. “One of the biggest things we want to do is not just think more reactionary short term kind of performative activism. But try and find ways to implement long term change that will actually mean something to students, kind of what we were thinking along those lines is doing various celebrations each month to celebrate different groups of people in the United States.”

The topic of sexual assault in CKSD was touched on as well during the forum, CKHS Principal Craig Johnson explained that they are working to be prepared to respond to concerns and to be prepared to handle that upon the return to school. 

The cases of sexual assault reported over the summer were forwarded to law enforcement and the school is currently working with CKHS’s STOP club to create a safe and comfortable environment for students. 

The next school spirit week will be March 29-April 2, it will be a joint spirit week with North Kitsap High School, South Kitsap High School, Bremerton High School and Kingston High School. More information on that will be available soon via the CKHS ASB Instagram. 

“Instead of competing grade to grade, we will compete school to school, and one will be the winner and we are hoping to give the winning school a trophy to keep in their building,” said Sarah Ross, the CKHS public relations director. 

The next school board meeting and study session will be held March 24 5:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. Information about future student forum’s can be found on Central Kitsap High School’s Instagram.