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Richmond School District Superintendent Scott Robinson shared a back-to-school message with families yesterday.
Photo by Jaana Björk
Richmond superintendent shares back-to-school encouragement
By Hannah Scott, Local Journalism Initiative reporter
Published 11:55 PDT, Thu September 10, 2020
Last Updated: 2:13 PDT, Wed May 12, 2021
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Amid widespread concern during the COVID-19 pandemic, Richmond students returned to school today.
But the usual back-to-school time will look different this year, said superintendent Scott Robinson.
“I’ve been coming to school every September since I was five years old and I can honestly say that I have never experienced anything quite like this year’s September start-up,” said Robinson in a letter to families. “I imagine many of you are feeling the same way given the circumstances we all find ourselves in.”
Robinson also reiterated some of the new safety protocols in place to keep students and staff safe, including extra handwashing stations for classrooms and portables with no running water and a detailed health and safety orientation to take place during the first week of school.
Families whose children are learning through remote transitional programs are invited to remain connected to their schools. Robinson also encourages these families to reach out to other parents whose children have been attending in-person to hear about how things are going.
“We want you to know that our goal is to have every one of our students feeling safe to return to school to join their teachers and classmates in-person,” he says. “It’s difficult to match the connections and warmth that occur in a physical classroom amongst the teacher and students.”
Despite the challenges COVID-19 poses for students and staff, Robinson is remaining positive about the new school year.
“I choose to take the perspective that everyone, including parents, staff members and students, is doing their best in this difficult situation. We are all being faced with challenges in our lives that may sometimes impact our ability to ‘be our best selves’,” he says. “This situation is new to all of us and given the size and complexity of our school district with over 20,000 students, close to 3,000 staff and 1,100 classrooms, there may be some bumps along the road as we all navigate these new circumstances together.
“I appreciate your ongoing patience and willingness to work with your school if there are any issues that need to be addressed along the way in order to support your child. As Dr. Bonnie Henry reminds us, I am hopeful that we can all be calm, be safe and be kind as we work though these first few weeks of school alongside each other. Ultimately, we all want what is best for every one of our students—your children. How we get there may look different than it used to, at least for a while. We will get there together.”
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