HSD is committed to in-person learning

By Terry Murry on Wednesday, January 19th, 2022 in Columbia Basin News More Top Stories

HERMISTON – The recent spike in COVID-19 cases has school administrators worried, but it’s also causing some districts to take a strong stand. Hermiston School District Assistant Superintendent Jake Bacon said they are dedicated to keeping students in their classroom instead of going back to comprehensive distance learning.

“That time in CDL we saw the impact on our kids,” he said. “We all believe very strongly we are going to stay in person and that’s going to be our drive.”

Bacon quoted Superintendent Tricia Mooney as saying district staff would move mountains to keep the schools open. He also said the district has had a lot of help from the community in dealing with staff absences.

“Being able to have emergency subs has helped out a ton,” he said. “We put a full-court press on to have people signed up to be substitute teachers and it’s worked out well. That’s going to help us keep kids in school.”

Bacon said that one of the district’s big needs is filling vacancies among the schools’ custodial workers. A listing of current vacancies in the Hermiston School District can be found at https://hermiston.tedk12.com/hire/index.aspx#aJobListings.