The kitchen at Denny International Middle School in West Seattle is decked out with strings of twinkling colored lights. There’s even a “lunch lady chandelier” fashioned out of strands of lights hanging from the bottom of a fan. It’s the work of Doree Fazio-Young, acting kitchen manager at Denny. She has close cropped gray hair, a big laugh, and a catchy nickname: Lunch Lady Doree.

Rosa showed up 40 minutes early to Kentridge High School in the Kent school district on Monday for the weekly school meal distribution. And she wasn’t even the first one in line. Cars soon lined up behind her, snaking out onto Southeast 208 th Street in front of the school — an eye-opening example of the importance of school meals as a lifeline for families right now.

A piece of medical equipment most of us didn’t know much about has now become critically important around the world – ventilators. The machines are used to help people breathe if their lungs are compromised, and many people sick with COVID-19 have been placed on ventilators. The people who are experts in running those machines are known as respiratory therapists. And while their skills are in great demand right now, a program that trains the next generation of respiratory therapists has seen

When Gov. Jay Inslee ordered a statewide school closure, he said districts should provide child care so health care personnel and first responders could still go to work. But how to pay for that care is still not sorted out. Tara Lee, a spokeswoman for the governor, said in an email that “it’s at the discretion of each local school district as to how they decide to respond and provide these services.”

We've all had to give up parts of our lives as we stay home to slow the COVID-19 pandemic. Professional sports leagues, including the NBA and NHL, have suspended their seasons. And young athletes have had to put their dreams on hold, as well. That’s true for Whittaker Perrin, who is 13 years old and a seventh-grader at Heatherwood Middle School in Mill Creek.

Schools across the state have had to make a major shift to remote learning amid the coronavirus pandemic. Now districts are figuring out how to grade the work that students are doing — or in some cases, not doing. The Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction is expected to issue guidance on grading this week.

Under pressure from a lawsuit and after a large protest at a prison in Monroe, Washington state is preparing to release hundreds of adults who are locked up as a way to reduce the population behind bars and prevent coronavirus infections. Advocacy groups are pushing for the state to also release incarcerated youth. Organizations including TeamChild, ACLU of Washington and Columbia Legal Services sent a letter dated March 23 to Ross Hunter, secretary of the Department of Children, Youth and

In this age of distance learning, educators are trying to figure out the best way to connect with and engage their students. They’re emailing, holding video chats, recording video lessons, and making phone calls. And some are singing.

The coronavirus pandemic has turned all of our lives upside-down. But what is it like to live through this crisis as a kid or a teen?

Gov. Jay Inslee said there will be no more in-person instruction for the rest of the school year, as the state continues to take extraordinary measures to combat the spread of the coronavirus, which has claimed the lives of more than 300 Washington residents. Schools will continue to provide instruction via distance learning, a transformation that district leaders have been trying to pull off in the span of just a few weeks.