Good Afternoon,
As I am reading the different thoughts and ideas people have generated on our latest Thought Exchange and I wanted to remind everyone that first and foremost we want our students back for in person learning as we realize that this is best for the majority of students and families. However, with that being said it is important to realize that in order to accomplish this for all students we need to meet the metrics requirements that have been set by Oregon Department of Education, (ODE), in conjunction with the Oregon Health Authority, (OHA). Please see the link below.
Linn County has unfortunately seen an increase in Covid-19 cases for the past couple of months. The latest data showed Linn County as having 145 cases per 100,000 residents, and a test positivity rate of 8.9% over a two week period. If we reach 200 cases, or a test positivity rate of 10% then our entire district will need to directly proceed to Distance learning only. The only exception to this is that we would be able to continue with our limited in person instruction in each building. In order to return students in grades K-6 we would then have to see numbers drop below 100 cases per 100,000 and a test positivity rate below 8%. For grades 7-12 we need to see less than 50 cases per 100,000, and under 5% test positivity rate.
With all of this being said, each building has plans to bring students back for in person learning as soon as it is safe and feasible. We are currently planning for grades 4-6 to return for an in-person hybrid learning model on Monday, December 7 unless we are district-wide in distance learning. Thank you all for your patience, and for taking the time to contribute to the Thought Exchange. The Thought Exchanges are open through Monday, November 16, 2020 for more thoughts or you may wish to star other thoughts people have written.
ODE Link: https://www.oregon.gov/ode/stu...
Thought Exchange Link(s):