MSD again closed because of poor air quality
Officials elect to further postpone first day of school, already delayed by two weeks
For the second consecutive day, the Moscow School District has canceled class today because of poor air quality.
After pushing the district’s Sept. 2 start of the fall semester to Monday, district officials opted to postpone the first day of school further when regional air quality spiked into the “unhealthy” range.
Superintendent Greg Bailey said the combination of poor air quality fueled by western wildfire smoke and the coronavirus pandemic has put Moscow schools in a difficult position. He said opening up the district’s heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems so they circulate outside air into school facilities helps to minimize the risk of spreading COVID-19. However, when the air is choked with smoke, this creates the possibility of bringing unhealthy air into the classroom.
“The inability to open our vents for circulation of fresh air within the classrooms is still a great concern of ours,” Bailey said in an email sent to parents Monday afternoon. “We are also concerned with students traveling to and from school or waiting at bus stops when the air quality is so poor.”
Bailey said the additional delay has caused frustration for teachers, parents, students and administrators alike but health and safety are the district’s primary concern.
“I understand why they’re so frustrated. I am as well,” Bailey said. “Our concern is the air quality, even within our buildings — it’s kind of a mixture of the smoke and the concern about COVID. It just keeps piling up on us.”
According to the email, the district’s lunch program and all after-school activities will be canceled until air quality improves.
If poor air quality persists, Bailey said he expects class will be conducted online starting Wednesday. He pointed out the district’s hybrid schedule, adopted in response to the pandemic, is arranged so cohorts of students receive in-person instruction two days a week, with the other three days online. Under this model, he said all students would have attended Wednesday classes online anyway.
“Wednesday is our typical (day when class is) online for all students, so I’m expecting everyone to be working Wednesday,” Bailey said. “Thursday and Friday, even if we’re not in the school building … I want to have the teachers working online with the kids so that they can start education.”
Officials with other north-central Idaho school districts, including Kendrick-Juliaetta, Potlatch and Genesee, have said they plan to continue offering class in school facilities but have sharply limited outdoor activities. Potlatch Superintendent Jeff Cirka pointed out his district began school in a hybrid model as well, so teachers are managing about half as many students in a given day as they normally would. Troy and Whitepine school districts could not be reached for comment.
In Washington, school officials in Pullman, Colton and Palouse have also decided not to cancel class. Pullman officials began the year in a hybrid model similar to Moscow’s but in the Palouse-Garfield Joint School District, all high school and middle school students started the semester receiving instruction online, so their education can continue uninterrupted.
Colton Superintendent Paul Clark said his small student body will continue to attend class in-person. Air quality in Colton was slightly better than surrounding towns, but even if this weren’t the case, Clark pointed out HVAC capabilities in school buildings are likely superior to those found in students’ homes.
Officials with the Colfax School District could not be reached for comment.
Scott Jackson can be reached at (208) 883-4636, or by email to sjackson@dnews.com
