CANBY SCHOOL DISTRICT UPDATE
October 30, 2020
Dear Canby Families,
Today, Oregon Governor Kate Brown and the Oregon Department of Education (ODE) released revisions to the metrics districts must meet in order to return to in-person learning. These revisions mean eligible districts will soon be able to provide hybrid in-person learning for K-6 students.
On July 28, Oregon Governor Kate Brown and ODE released the initial COVID metrics that prevented our ability to offer in-person learning at the start of the school year. On September 8, ODE provided some exceptions to the metrics that would allow for some limited in-person instruction. There were also exceptions for K-3 students returning to hybrid in-person learning, however our county had not yet met those requirements.
Today’s changes to the metrics include:
State test positivity rates are no longer a factor for school districts
K-6 students can return for hybrid in-person learning if:
The county case rate is ≤50/100,000 residents over two weeks
The county test positivity rate is less than 8% over two weeks
7-12 students must continue in Connected At-Home Learning or COLA until schools demonstrate the ability to limit COVID transmission in the school environment
Under these new metrics, Clackamas County schools would be eligible to begin the transition to hybrid in-person learning for grades K-3, and then adding grades 4-6. We must consult with local public health authorities on reopening plans. In addition, local public health will evaluate metrics in neighboring Marion County and the impact on our schools, as 14% of our staff lives in Marion County.
ODE also released updates to the Ready Schools, Safe Learners guidance today. As we review the updated protocols for in-person instruction, we know there is much to consider before we can transition into a hybrid learning model. We must work with our associations to ensure staff are prepared to return to our schools. We are beginning to create new bus routes to provide transportation safely. We need to evaluate our planned cohorts to ensure class sizes can accommodate social distancing in our schools.
We know you will have a lot of questions about these changes and what they mean for your student. We will be spending the next few days determining how these revisions to the metrics will impact school operations. We have a lot of details to finalize and will provide an update next week.
Thank you for your continued patience and support. I look forward to connecting with you next week.
Trip Goodall
Superintendent
Canby School District
All students. All abilities. All opportunities.
Email: fostera@canby.k12.or.us
Website: www.canby.k12.or.us
Location: 1130 South Ivy Street, Canby, OR, USA
Phone: 503-266-7861
Facebook: facebook.com/canbyschooldistrict
Twitter: @canbyschools