Dear Walla Walla Catholic Schools community,

A reflection found on the wall in Mother Teresa’s home for children in Calcutta says:

Reflecting upon these last two months—with the many, many changes which have taken place—I am convicted by Mother Teresa’s reflection in the continuation of my work. From the very beginning of this pandemic, the Walla Walla Catholic Schools worked to resume in-person instruction as quickly, smoothly and safely as possible. As information and state regulations/guidelines have continued to change, the school has worked to adapt so as to function within the parameters. 

We believe that we are companions on a pilgrimage to heaven. While ideally that companionship would take place entirely in-person, in our current environment we must prudently work toward that ideal, ensuring that the ideal can be done in a responsible manner according to state mandates and our opening plan. 

Last Wednesday, I met with representatives of our insurance company who informed me that, while it is necessary to follow all state mandates, the recommendations set forth regarding learning modalities at different active case rates could be departed from without voiding our insurance. Since that time, I have been working with the Diocese of Spokane to solidify and approve a workable opening timeline. Our intention with this timeline is to cautiously, but purposefully move from K-2 in-person to full in-person learning.

Below are two charts, the first is the Phase-In Timeline and the second is the WWCS’s guidelines on learning modality based on current case rates in Walla Walla and College Place. As such, our phase-in timeline is dependent upon our area being within the parameters articulated in the modality guideline. 

Sadly, circumstances could change tomorrow or even today, which would make void this work. However, I am thankful for the work of Mr. Lesko, all of the faculty and Katie Reickers at the Diocese of Spokane for helping us move forward, at least for the moment. Please pray for me that I might continue to “give the best [I] have” even though it might not be enough. 

In Christ,

Fr. Seidel

Further information about the nature of the school’s insurance and guidance from the Diocese has allowed the WWCS to depart from the recommendations set forth by the state of Washington. However, it is the position of WWCS and the Diocese that the school has some metric by which to judge the prudent learning modality. As such, the WWCS has adapted the metrics of the state of Minnesota in light of Washington State’s mandated spacing requirements and the small size of our student population. The below guide is, of course, contingent on its continued permissibility within Washington State’s mandates and requirements. If, for example, Washington state were to shift the status of its decision tree from a recommendation to a requirement, the WWCS guide would no longer be applicable.

Over the course of the past two months, the WWCS, like many schools, has experienced a great deal of turbulence and changes as we sought to formulate our plans for the fall. Given the complexity of these changes, we have provided below a timeline with the major events and communications that have taken place affecting our opening plans.