Washington State suggests schools give priority to nonwhite students during reopening

Washington state is considering a plan that would give priority to minority and disadvantaged students when schools reopen in the fall following months of closure during the coronavirus pandemic. 

Like most state chief executives across the country, Washington Gov. Jay Inslee shuttered his state's public schools earlier in the year as part of a coronavirus mitigation plan. States have lately begun considering how they will re-open their schools in the fall, if at all.

Education officials across the country have proposed various plans incorporating alternating schedules, "cohorting" of students, and distance learning programs, while others have suggested the entire upcoming school year may consist entirely of virtual classrooms. 

A "district planning guide" released last month by Washington Superintendent of Public Instruction Chris Reykdal, makes similar suggestions, but it also suggests granting priority to non-white students during proposed reopening phases.