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Will Washington students be returning to class like normal at all this school year?

A Seattle doctor on the front lines of the coronavirus crisis warns parents not to get their hopes up.

SEATTLE — If you're a parent expecting school to get back in session and back to normal this academic year, think again.

That's according to a Harborview Medical Center doctor who has been treating COVID-19 patients. Dr. Chetan Seshadri is also a father of three children in the Seattle Public School district. 

He believes the best thing we can do is shift our mindset and prepare to salvage what's left of the school year instead of holding out hope that things will instantly return to normal.

"We need to change the conversation from 'how long do we keep the schools closed' to 'when school reopens, what will it look like,'" said Dr. Seshadri. "There is significant harm to keeping kids out of school."

Seshadri wrote an op-ed in the Seattle Times on the topic and offered a few suggestions.

Among them, possibly allow teachers and children to meet once a week if they are not feeling ill and are in a safe, responsible environment. 

"The question is, how can we allow ourselves to get back to some sort of normal life," he said. 

RELATED: Seattle teacher offers tips for teaching kids at home during school closures

Dr. Seshadri does believe that the peak infection rate will be reached within the next few weeks in Seattle and King County.

Governor Jay Inslee ordered all schools closed statewide until April 25. No school district has yet announced a plan of how students will return to class.

RELATED: Meal plans organized for Washington students amid coronavirus school closures

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