Kelly Kenoyer
By Kelly Kenoyer
Of The New Era
The Sweet Home School Board unanimously approved plans for students in kindergarten through third grade to return to school in a hybrid model, while older students stay at home and engage in distance learning.
Members met over Zoom on Monday, Aug. 10, to vote on the plans, which were largely determined by Oregon Department of Education metrics and requirements.
Students in grades 4-12 may eventually be able to attend in person, according to the plan, but only if the county and the state meet stringent metrics for COVID-19 cases. All metrics need to be met for three weeks in a row for students to attend in person: statewide metrics being a 5% or lower test positivity rate, with county test rates at the same level and fewer than 10 cases per 100,000 people in a seven day period.
Linn County currently only meets the metrics for students in grades K-3, as case rates in the county are too high, and statewide test positivity rates are above 5 percent.
Sweet Home’s zip code has two new cases as of August 5 compared to the previous week, totaling 16 since the beginning of the pandemic. Linn County had a total of 33 new cases in the week of August 2 to 9, which measures out to a case rate of 26 per 100,000. Previous weeks were lower, with a case rate at 20 or lower. The test positivity rate in the county was 4.7 percent the week of August 2, compared to 3.7 percent the previous week and 2.1 percent the week before that. Superintendent Tom Yahraes noted that “the data today is not a favorable trend, but at this point it is under the stipulations of OHA and ODE.”
The state also may provide exceptions to those metrics for students with disabilities and for career and technical training programs, though it is not a guarantee, Yahraes said.
Looking toward fall, Yahraes said, “We do not plan to adjust our calendar, and we plan on a regular five day a week schedule.” However, the first week of classes for K-3 students may involve only one grade coming to school at a time to test the health and safety protocols “before we onboard everybody.”
Chief Academic Officer Rachel Stucky said the district’s operational blueprints will be publicly available online this week, and cover three elements of preparation: public health protocols, facility and school operation management, and a planned response in case of an outbreak.
The district had to meet 135 requirements handed down from ODE, she said: “A heavy lift for the student services department, and they did an outstanding job.”
Elizabeth Hunt, a representative from the Sweet Home Education Association, said her staff are diverse in their opinions on the matter of schools reopening. Some are “extremely nervous,” while others are “eager to be back in the classroom face to face with students.”
Elements of the back to school plan are still up in the air, like whether teachers of K-3 students will be teaching remotely and in-person simultaneously. Those decisions will be made before school starts in the fall, Yahraes said.
He said the distance learning program is “greatly improved” from last spring, when teachers had to flip a switch to go online without any prior planning. This time, “We have a team of teachers right now working diligently on templates for our other teachers to get trained up on before we return,” he said.
As for whether older students can return, it all depends on the metrics. “We’ll publish weekly where we’re at, whether we’re meeting or not meeting the metrics.” Data becomes available each Monday, and Yahraes will closely monitor whether the situation deteriorates, and the youngest students need to learn remotely, or whether the situation improves, and older students can return to the classroom.
If an outbreak occurs within a school, ODE will look at the specific scenario and determine next steps “based on cohorting data and tracking,” Yahraes said. “It’s paramount that we have very good data and tracking systems.”
For students returning to class in person, things will look very different from business as usual. There will be staggered arrival and exit times to limit contact, temperature screenings every time a student gets on a bus or enters a building, and lesson plans about washing hands.
Additionally, “Volunteers and non-essential guests are not allowed in buildings, students will be assigned restrooms and entry and exits,” Yahraes said.
The board voted unanimously to approve the operational blueprints.
Members of the board expressed gratitude for all the hard work put in by teachers and administrators at the district. Board Member Mike Reynolds gave a “shout out to everyone there. It’s a tough situation.”
Chairman Jason Redick said, “I know summertime is usually pretty sacred, so we appreciate everyone putting in the extra time to get all this ironed out.”
And Board Member Chanz Keeney said, “I think a lot of things are going to change before we start school, but I think as a community we’re going in the right direction.”