District reopening plans a go for Monday, Nov. 16
Klamath County School District is continuing with plans to open its larger and suburban schools to in-person learning for 4th -12th graders starting Monday, Nov. 16.
Even though the number of positive COVID-19 cases in the county is trending upwards, Klamath County Public Health recommended school districts continue with their reopening plans. The governor’s two-week freeze announced Friday does not apply to schools, and districts can continue operating under current Oregon Department of Education and Oregon Health Authority metrics.
In a meeting this week, public health officials said the increase in cases were traced to specific gatherings and there are minimal concerns within any school community. When contact tracing occurs after known-exposure events, the number of positive cases often spikes because people who were exposed get tested.
Close collaboration continues between Klamath County Public Health and the Klamath County School District to allow for rapid response to cases or exposures within schools. In the event that cases exceed 200/100,000 or test positivity exceeds 10%, all Klamath County schools will return to comprehensive distance learning.
How it works: The two-week total of new cases in the county as of Nov. 13 is 87 (127 per 100,000). Under ODE metrics, when case rates are between 100 and 200 per 100,000, transitioning from hybrid to distance learning is considered. However if those cases are largely related to known exposures and are not related to school communities, a transition to distance learning is not necessary, according to information provided by Klamath County Public Health. If a specific school community is impacted, recommendations about transition to comprehensive distance learning will be made specific to that campus.
The metrics provided by the Oregon Department of Education establish four categories of risk associated with offering in-person education. For more: Ready Schools, Safe Learners (metrics start on page 12). Follow this link to see the county’s week-by-week COVID-19 case counts and metrics: Klamath_County_Covid-19_data.