Returning students to classrooms: Who is going back and when? | Local | democratherald.com

In July, Knox Pouliot raised his hand while interacting with his free elementary school teacher, while his father was at West Albany High School’s father, Cole Pouliot’s in December. Distance learning in the classroom. 

When students return, Wildcat Elementary School in Corvallis will use several different out-of-society desk layouts.

Marlana Graham of Meadow Ridge Elementary School teaches kindergarten classes online at a conference in December. 

After eight months of study (mainly at home), students in the state will return to the classroom.

However, only who can go back, its appearance will vary from school to school. Although the state government no longer mandates face-to-face learning, the number of COVID-19 cases across the state is still higher than when schools closed last spring. This has given regions anxious and troublesome desire to bring students back to their desks.

In terms of vaccination, educators have been designated as priority work targets, but the state lags behind in terms of vaccination schedules and continues to receive fewer vaccine doses than required. Vaccination has not yet reached all the vaccinators designated in the first priority group, and state government directives have caused confusion about who is eligible and who is not. Districts cannot require teachers to be vaccinated, but they cannot tell the family whether their students’ teachers are vaccinated. The immunization schedule further exacerbated the decision of each district-the injection must be divided into two injections, about four weeks apart, and two more weeks must be passed after the second injection to immunize a person.

The state has also relaxed its indicators for attracting students to return to the country, in addition to making them more of a guide than an authorization.

According to the new index, if a county has less than 50 new cases per 100,000 population in two weeks, the school can be open to all students. Counties with more than 50 but less than 200 cases per 100,000 population can be opened to young students. Counties with 200 to 350 cases per 100,000 population can also welcome first grade students to return. In a two-week period, counties with more than 350 cases per 100,000 cases must remain in the comprehensive distance learning model.

But schools that are open outside of these indicators may face the complexity of PACE’s liability, which is an entity that provides insurance for all regions of the state (except for the three regions). In all open schools outside the indicators, the school district must also conduct field tests.

Although these status indicators are not mandatory, the rules regarding reopening are mandatory. The Oregon Department of Education has required districts to allocate 35 square feet to each student to maintain social distancing, reduce the number of cohorts, limit the number of students who have daily contact with teachers, implement mask regulations and implement a series of other regulations to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

Each region addresses these challenges individually by setting a different start date (ranging from February 1 to March 29), provides accommodation for teachers in various ways, and responds to actual face-to-face situations.

The Sweet Home will first enter the gate in the middle of the Willamette Valley, and the opening date is February 1.

Supervisor Tom Yahraes said of the reopening: "It doesn't mean everything is normal." "We can anticipate people who must be isolated; we see this in limited face-to-face learning. "

Sweet Home will restore all regulations of the Oregon State Department of Education and restore K-3 grades. This means that the lunch will look different, the rest time and the actual situation of class learning will also be different.

Yahraes said that students will not have new teachers since September. Since the status limits the number of children that can be accommodated in a class, all classes must be reconfigured. In addition, some students and teachers do not feel safe enough to return to study in person, so comprehensive distance learning will also continue, which will further force the current class configuration to change.

Yahraes said that students who feel uncomfortable returning to teaching in person can continue full distance learning, and teachers will conduct both teaching at the same time.

He said: "If you have 20 students and 5 students are on CDL, you will still be teaching these 5 students."

Grades 4-6 will resume on February 16, and grades 7-12 will resume on February 12 to February 18, depending on their grade.

All grades will adopt a mixed model, which means they are not in the building every day, and will be gradually adopted based on the success of the grades returned before. Yahraes pointed out that even if students sign contracts with COVID-19 outside the school, but keep in touch with their peers, the entire peers must also leave the scene for guidance and isolation.

Yahraes said: "This requires the help of the community. We must work together." "I have full confidence in the community. We will gather for the children."

Philomath will be open to students after eight days at the "Sweet House" on February 9. The region is also expected to bring back K-3 students under the state’s plan to prioritize elementary school performance.

The area has always provided limited face-to-face teaching, but the process of entering mixed teaching is complicated.

"Unlike some neighboring areas, I have been announcing the start date to the community," Superintendent Susan Halliday said. "I have always wanted to focus on opening classes for our students and announce dates to maintain our vision. Throughout the school year, we have been suspended for many reasons, including indicators, guidance, and even PPE."

On January 26, the student was dropped out of school to accommodate the return. With the exception of Blodgett Elementary School, all elementary schools have four teachers in each grade. But the mixed plan in the region requires three face-to-face classes and one CDL class, which means teachers and students must be reorganized to understand the changes. Halliday said that this change may change. According to the number of students returning, if there is a situation that leads to class suspension, or if other students want to return to CDL, they must reconfigure the class.

Once K-3 returns to the hybrid car, Philomath will enter grades 4-5.

When Lebanese students return on February 16, they will be K-3, but not everyone has to see the inside of the classroom.

According to Dean Bo Yates in a message to his family, those who wish to continue distance learning can do so. These families are expected to get more connections from the area. In addition, any student who returns to the site can switch back to remote learning at any time.

The current plan calls for returning to grades 4, 5, and 6 on February 22, and then returning to grades 6, 7 and 8 on March 1. Grades 6-8 will be a mixed curriculum, which means that students are not in class every day. Also returning on a mixed schedule are the 9th and 10th grades on March 8, and the 11th and 12th grades on March 15.

Every day from 8 am to 1 pm, students in grade 5 and below will be taught in person, which means that Lebanese students will be able to see the inside of the classroom better than other students returning midway through the valley.

However, the school district still requires families to continue to use the COVID-19 protocol to avoid work stoppages.

Yates said in a letter to his family: “Every family must do its part to ensure the safety of our students and faculty.” “Masks are an important part of the safety plan, so please take some time Together with your children, let them know how to wear masks correctly before going to school."

The Greater Albany School is currently the last Mid Valley area to welcome students back, on March 29. It is also the only area in the region that competes with schools in two counties (Linn and Benton). Although now guided by state indicators, the number of two counties must be considered.

GAPS announced earlier this month that it will welcome elementary school students on February 8. However, after discussions with employees and negotiations with the union, the date was postponed to March 29, the first week after the spring break.

GAPS said the delay allowed educators to be vaccinated before reentering the classroom.

Director Melissa Goff said at the virtual board meeting held on January 25: "In the end, to make this decision, I listened to the voices of students, their families and our employees." In the past few months, I have been busy thinking, weighing the risks of opening up and the risks of continuing to conduct distance learning. There is an uncontrollable situation before us. One of them is the need for vaccination. It is becoming increasingly clear that vaccination is one of the important keys to getting rid of the lockdown we experienced during COVID. "

It is expected that K-2 students will be ranked first in the rotation schedule in a mixed form. No GAPS students attend classes every day.

In addition, all ODE requirements are in place, and students who refuse to wear masks or continuously take off masks will be removed from the on-site learning and placed back in the CDL.

If the student is not willing to return in person, the CDL option will remain open for the student.

According to a district-wide survey, 27% of South Albany High School students and 30% of West Albany High School students choose to stay in CDL instead of returning to study in person.

Once K-2 returns to the building in turn, other levels will be gradually adopted.

The Corvallis School District does not know when to start face-to-face learning, but there are plans.

According to Superintendent Ryan Noss, the current school district plan requires that once the number of cases in Benton County falls below 200 cases per 100,000 people for two weeks, kindergarten students should immediately teach in person. After the kindergarten returns to school, other grades will gradually adopt a mixed model.

This hybrid model will see all students on the CDL in the morning, and those who need personal guidance can attend classes in the afternoon. North said that those afternoon classes will focus on mental and emotional development that cannot be accomplished through CDL.

For students who cannot learn online, Corvallis Online (an online learning option for students) will remain open after the reopening. Teachers who feel they cannot return have been transferred to the platform.

North said that the Corvallis school district community will continue to receive government information about the reopening schedule.

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