SEATTLE NEWS ARCHIVES & FEATURES
Two moms take a stand to open schools
May 11, 2021, 1:15 PM

(Photo by Alexandra Beier/Getty Images)
(Photo by Alexandra Beier/Getty Images)
Tara and Rachel are two moms in the Sumner and Bonney Lake area, who have organized in hopes to pressure their schools to open back up. The Sumner-Bonney Lake School District reopened with a hybrid model for learning last month.
“We weren’t getting the communication from the district that we wanted, so we decided to start a parents’ group,” Rachel explained to KTTH’s Todd Herman.
Rachel said the superintendent refused to meet with their group while other districts in the area were willing to talk with parents and develop a plan.
All schools statewide were required to offer part-time options for in-person classes by April 5 for K-6 students, and then by April 19 for K-12 students. All school districts must also have a minimum of 30% of weekly instructional hours take place in person and on campus. 鈥淯nder no circumstances鈥 can any school offer fewer than at least two partial days on campus per week.
Tara, who’s been an EMT for over 15 years, says what bothered her is that the schools weren’t talking to kids about being healthy, but were discussing the vaccine.
Gov. Inslee expands COVID testing for schools in bid to resume in-person learning
“It’s not the job of a teacher to educate my child on an experimental drug,” Tara said is what she told the district. “The district slowly ties to push the narrative that in order for everyone to be healthy and back to school without masks, that’s what needs to take place.”
Ultimately, Tara and Rachel said they just want to talk to the district about their concerns.
The Sumner-Bonney Lake School District says all students will be welcomed back to the classroom for full-time instruction next year.
Listen to the Todd Herman Show weekday mornings from 6 鈥 9 a.m. on KTTH 770 AM (or HD Radio 97.3 FM HD-Channel 3). Subscribe to the podcast here.