No in-person learning activities for high school/skills center programs
On April 6, the governor extended the closures of K-12 schools with a prohibition of in-person learning activities and the continuation of student engagement in learning, both through online learning modalities, and through printed materials. The high school/skills center programs serve a unique demographic; as a result, the Nursing Care Quality Assurance Commission (NCQAC) has been in communication with the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction to clarify what this means for high school/skills center programs.
- There is no allowance for on-site skills lab or in-facility clinical rotations for these programs through the end of the school year due to the COVID-19 crisis.
- Counting nursing assistant-registered (NAR) work hours as clinical hours represents an in-person learning modality; as a result, this option is not allowable for these programs through the end of the school year due to the COVID-19 crisis.
- As communicated by the governor and the Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) and school districts are working diligently to devise pathways for facilitating course credits and graduation.
- Pathways for facilitating certification are also being explored by OSPI and school districts. COVID-19 has presented unchartered territory in terms of developing options. The NCQAC defers to OSPI and school districts in terms of communicating the details of the pathway options they identify.