District to implement Test to Stay Program

The Snohomish School District, the Snohomish Health District and the Washington State Department of Health (DOH) recognize the importance of students remaining in school after potential exposure to COVID-19 at school but are not showing any signs or symptoms of the virus. The Snohomish School District is participating in the DOH Test to Stay Program. The program will be implemented in our schools beginning Monday, December 6.

Free ACT opportunity - Juniors

The Snohomish School District will be offering the ACT (American College Test) free of charge for all high school juniors on March 8, 2022 during the school day. This is an amazing opportunity for students to take a college entrance exam at no cost to families and for our schools to collect data that will help improve student learning.

Are you ready for inclement weather?

We know that our Pacific Northwest weather can be unpredictable. Please take a few minutes to review the information below so you know what to expect when there is a weather event. It’s difficult when things happen that are out of our control, and we thank you in advance for your patience and flexibility.

Sad news

It is with sad news, we share the passing of retired Snohomish School District Superintendent Bill Mester. Mester died peacefully with his family by his side on Monday, November 1, after battling pneumonia. In late spring/early summer, he and his wife Fran moved to the Baltimore area to be closer to family. At age 73, he leaves behind his wife of 50 years, his two children, his daughter-in-law and his two grandchildren. Mester retired as Superintendent of the Snohomish School District in 2015, ending a 43-year career in education and 35 years leading school districts. 14 of those years were in Snohomish.

Kathy Purviance-Snow recipient of Horace Mann Award for Teaching Excellence

A huge round of congratulations to Snohomish High School teacher Kathy Purviance-Snow who was named one of five educators across the nation to receive one of public education’s highest honors, the Horace Mann Award for Teaching Excellence! The award from the NEA Foundation recognizes educators for their diligence and dedication to students, colleagues, communities, and their profession.

Follow-up communication rRegarding GPHS incident

We wanted to share with district families the message Principal Jeff Larson sent to the Glacier Peak High School community earlier today. Discrimination has no place in our schools. In the Snohomish School District, we stand with our LGBTQ+ students and honor and value the lives of each and every student, staff, and community member regardless of race, ethnicity, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion, neurodiversity, social class or disability.

Communication regarding Snohomish High School

Superintendent message regarding today's GPHS homecoming court selection

Possible transportation impacts

The district is preparing for the possible impact that our regional and state-wide labor shortage may have upon our bus driver workforce. The possible shortage combined with normal absences due to illness and personal leave could create a situation where bus routes would have to be altered.

School ventilation

Last evening (September 20, 2021) on KING 5, there was an investigation report regarding statewide K-12 school HVAC systems. In their investigation, data from the Washington Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) shows that nearly 800 school buildings across the state have “poor” ratings for their heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) systems. The data used to create the report was self-submitted by school districts. Snohomish School District submitted its data during the 2018-2019 school year. Districts submit scores regarding their heating systems, HVAC distribution and ventilation. We are unaware how KING 5 formulated its database and overall scores using those three data points. Click here for specifics regarding Snohomish School District ventilation.

Kids’ Café has successful summer

This year’s Kids’ Café Summer Meal Program was a tremendous success! We served 7,302 breakfasts and 7,954 lunches (for a total of 15,256 meals) to young people from our community.

Letter from the Superintendent - August 13, 2021

As we continue our preparations for the coming year, I want to assure our families that our #1 priority is safely returning our students to our schools and classrooms full time. As we continue to finalize those back-to-school plans, health and safety remain the utmost priority. And as we work hard to maintain a safe and healthy environment for our students and staff, we are working hard to balance that with creating as normal as possible school environment.

As we work through the details of the return to school, I want you to be aware that our district continues to have regular discussions with the Snohomish Health District, Washington Superintendent of Public Instruction Chris Reykdal’s office and leadership from other school districts in Snohomish County and the region.

Some current examples of decisions that have been made and communicated to us by the Washington State Department of Health are included in this letter.

Back-to-School News (2021-2022)

As we have shared with our school community, we are planning for a full-time return to in-person learning for the 2021-2022 school year.

As we continue to finalize our back-to-school plans and adjust to any new guidance, our students’ and staff’s health and safety continues to remain our highest priority. Back-to-school information is located below. Please watch for details from your child’s school regarding additional school-specific information. In addition, more information is available on our school and district websites. We can’t wait to welcome you back to our schools and classrooms soon!

Important family back-to-school message

We want to continue to keep you updated as we prepare for the return of all students to be in-person all day, five days per week this fall. We are excited that students will be in their classrooms with their teachers and peers.

Communication from the Superintendent - June 25, 2021

As a follow-up to the conversations occurring in our community, I wanted to provide you with information about what is/is not occurring in the Snohomish School District in regard to Critical Race Theory (CRT), sexual education curriculum and use of masks/face coverings. And more importantly, I want to emphasize that the Snohomish School District is dedicated to each and every student’s education and strives to create a welcoming and inclusive environment for all. Our goal is to ensure that any student who entrusts us with their education earns their diploma while having a safe and positive experience in our schools.

June 23 District Communication Regarding 2021-2022 School Year

We want to share our plan as we move forward and prepare for the return of all students to be in-person all day, five days per week next fall. We are excited that our students will be in their classrooms with their teachers and peers. We will be intentional as we approach the first day, first week, first month and first quarter of the 2021-2022 school year so that students have a great start. That same approach will continue throughout the year so students have the framework and ability to move forward in their academic and social-emotional needs.

Graduation ceremony update

The goal of the Snohomish School District is to celebrate graduation in a safe environment so families can watch and cheer our graduates in this once-in-a-lifetime ceremony. This year’s ceremonies for our Glacier Peak High School and Snohomish High School graduates will be in-person events held on Tuesday, June 15, at the Evergreen Speedway in Monroe. Our AIM High School graduates will celebrate in-person on Thursday, June 10, at Veterans Memorial Stadium here in Snohomish.

Snohomish School District to Participate in UW COVID-19 Study

February 20, 2021 - Students, teachers, and staff in Snohomish School District schools are participating in a COVID-19 testing project with researchers at the University of Washington (UW) to gain new insights into the transmission of the virus in schools and classrooms.

District to participate in UW COVID-19 study

February 16, 2021 - The Snohomish School District is partnering with the University of Washington (UW) in its research project to gain insights into the transmission of COVID-19 in classrooms. The project provides free COVID-19 testing for in-person learning students in grades kindergarten through 2nd grade, as well as current, onsite staff working with special education and preschool through 6th grade students. This program is voluntary and only those families and staff who want to participate are encouraged to do so. It is slated to begin Monday, February 22, and will continue through the end of the 2020-2021 school year.

4/5/6 Highly Capable Program Information - Packets due February 12

February 8, 2021 - If your student will be in the 4th through 6th grade next year and you are interested in your student participating the 4/5/6 Elementary Highly Capable Program, the following dates and information are important. Students currently participating in the 4/5/6 Highly Capable Program do not need to go through the referral process.

4/5/6 Highly Capable Program Information

January 21, 2021 - If your student will be in the 4th through 6th grade next year and you are interested in your student participating the 4/5/6 Elementary Highly Capable Program, the following dates and information are important. Students currently participating in the 4/5/6 Highly Capable Program do not need to go through the referral process.

Zoom Incident

October 30, 2020 - On Thursday, October 29 a Zoom incident occurred at Snohomish High School involving an uninvited participant who used a student’s name and was mistakenly allowed in the class. Once in the class, this person wrote hateful, threatening comments and a racist word on the chat. School administrators are currently working with the district’s Technology department and the local police department to investigate the matter as committing a hate crime is a federal offense.

Kids’ Café has successful summer

September 4, 2020 - Special thanks to all of you who helped make this year’s Kids’ Café Summer Meal Program was successful! We served 11,860 breakfasts and 13,607 lunches (for a total of 25,467 meals) to young people from our community.

Re-Opening 2020-2021 Update

JUly 17, 2020 - I’m reaching out today to share current information as we plan for school this fall. Although, we do not yet have all the answers, it is important to share the discussion at this point. While we await additional guidance from the OSPI, the Washington Department of Health (DOH) and Governor Inslee, we have been planning for various scenarios. Although none of our models are final, and unanswered details remain, it shares our path forward for the upcoming school year.

Kids' Cafe summer meal service

June 15, 2020 - All area kids age 18 and younger are invited to join us at our Kids' Café summer meal program. The program is free, and there is no pre-registration or sign-up. Kids just need to show up and enjoy a great meal. At sites where there is only a single serving time*, kids will receive a lunch for that day and a breakfast for the following day. Kids' Café is held Monday through Friday and runs from Monday, June 29, through Friday, August 28. We offer meals at the following times and locations.