COVID counts may open doors of classrooms

Kelly Kenoyer

The most current numbers from the Oregon Health Authority by county set Linn County at 13 cases per 100,000 the week ending Sept. 5, which is the third consecutive week Linn County has been eligible for students K-3 to return to the classroom.

“As of those numbers, we can have kids back in school,” said Supt. Tom Yahraes at the School Board’s monthly meeting Monday, Sept. 14. He noted that the county does not yet meet the metrics required for in-person schooling for older students.

However, Yahraes said the district will stick with universal distance learning until the six-week mark, around the week of Oct. 9.

“We didn’t want to have it this way, that way, at the beginning of the school year. It’s too chaotic.”

At the same time, the school year has been delayed somewhat because of the terrible wildfire smoke and evacuation levels impacting students.

“In a 24-hour window, distance learning opportunities came to a halt,” Yahraes said, recounting last week’s experience. “After consulting with the police chief, I canceled school due to a host of environmental issues like the air quality.”

Chief Academic Officer Rachel Stucky said the three goals the district had for last week were to distribute Chromebooks, introduce students to Canvas and begin synchronous learning.

“None of those goals happened,” she said. Because of the smoke, Chromebooks and lunches were not distributed, and classes did not start. However, the school is still set to meet minimum instruction hour requirements, she said.

Although the general student population won’t be back to school until October at the earliest, the district is setting up an alternative program for students with specific needs.

Stucky said there’s an opportunity to bring students back of all ages.

“It’s limited and based specifically on need,” she said.

Schools are allowed to offer limited in-person instruction based on needs like limited internet access, academic support, English learners, and access to formal assessments.

“We want to start bringing our students back in very small groups.”

The district anticipates serving some students through limited in-person instruction no later than Monday, Sept. 21.

That kind of in-person instruction involves significant limitations instated by the Oregon Department of Education, including cohorts limited to no more than 10 students and instructional time limited to two hours a day. Students can also only be in two cohorts at a time(including transportation), and participation is voluntary.

“It is supplemental instruction; it does not replace online instruction,” Stucky said. “The instructional time cannot exceed two hours a day.” Those limitations are based on state mandates.

Transportation services are ready to go, she added. “We already know each one of our English learners, which school they’re at.”

Board member Chance Keeney expressed confusion about the difference between this program and full in-person instruction for all students.

Yahraes responded that there are “two pathways” that are differentiated, and this one is intended to serve students with specific needs and challenges.

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