Despite Omicron concerns, Seattle's largest school districts say classes will start on time, in person in January

Despite an expected spike in new coronavirus cases following the holidays, Western Washington’s largest school districts say classes — for now — will start on time and in person.

“Our plan is to reopen schools as scheduled on Monday, January 3,” Seattle Public Schools said in a message sent to families. “That said, we are also preparing for the possibility that some classrooms, and perhaps some schools, will have to go remote at some point in January.”

Speculation that schools will see a spike in new cases is fueled by concern over the omicron variant of the coronavirus, which health experts say is "extraordinarily contagious." Dr. Anthony Facui, the nation’s top infectious disease expert, said on Sunday that omicron is even more contagious than the delta variant, which is considered to be twice as transmissible as earlier strains.

With students set to return to classrooms following holiday gatherings over winter break, some state universities — including the University of Washington and Western Washington University — have already announced that the first week of classes on their campuses will be held remotely.

“This will allow time for post-travel COVID testing, symptom monitoring and additional time for students to get booster shots,” Western Washington University said in an Instagram post announcing the decision.

Seattle Public Schools spokesperson Tina Christiansen told the SeattlePI that district officials will continue monitoring public health data and will update parents if their current thinking changes.

Officials with the Lake Washington School District and Tacoma Public Schools also said classes will start on time and in person on Jan. 3. They said their respective districts will also continue to monitor public health data and will communicate any changes to parents.

Washington’s current COVID data reflects the assumption that omicron, while highly contagious, is less severe than previous strains. New cases are up 54% over the last two weeks, but hospitalizations and deaths are down 3% and 7%, respectively. The state is currently averaging 2,083 new cases per day.

Seattle Public Schools, the state’s largest school district, has done well in its handling of the virus. Since classes began in August, the district has seen a total of 1,049 student cases. That represents just over 2% of students in the district.

To avoid the potential switch to remote learning next month, the district recommends families get their children vaccinated and boosted if eligible. It’s also encouraging families to avoid large gatherings, and to wear masks and practice social distancing while in public.