Brown targets Feb. 15th return to class; districts to make final decision

By TED TAYLOR
CENTRAL OREGON DAILY NEWS

Gov. Kate Brown on Wednesday directed state health and education leaders to launch several new policies in the coming weeks hoping to get Oregon’s elementary school students back in class by the middle of February.

Among the requests is making the state’s current health metrics for a return to class “advisory” rather than “mandatory” beginning January 1st.

“Moving forward, the decision to resume in-person instruction must be made locally, district by district, school by school,” Brown wrote in her letter to Oregon Education Director Colt Gill and Oregon Health Authority Director Patrick Allen.

Most Oregon students have been out of the classroom since early March when the COVID pandemic started to take hold across the United States.

Since then, school districts have grappled with distance learning efforts with varying success while parents juggled schedules and students missed out on important face-to-face interactions with teachers and friends.

“Moving forward, the decision to resume in-person instruction must be made locally, district by district, school by school.”
Gov. Kate Brown

The state dangled a carrot in front of parents this fall by releasing more lenient health metrics, but cases in Deschutes County spiked right after the announcement. 

The governor now wants Oregon school districts and counties to have the flexibility to reopen schools based on the COVID situation in their own backyard.

“In addition to schools continuing to adhere to required health and safety protocols and working in close consultation with their local public health authority in understanding and considering the metrics, teachers, school staff, parents and students should be engaged in this decision-making process to allow schools to make the best choice for their community and their students,” she said.

“Today’s announcement from Governor Brown will not help return students safely to Oregon’s classrooms – it will simply continue what has already been months of confusion and uncertainty for Oregon’s students and educators.”
– Oregon Education Association President John Larson

Redmond School District Superintendent Dr. Charan Cline welcomed Brown’s announcement.

“The Redmond School District is eager to have kids back in school as soon as it is safe to do so, and we know that studies are showing transmission of COVID-19 is rare in schools,” he said. “With Governor Brown’s revision of the public health metrics to advisory instead of mandatory, we now have the ability to start a path toward reopening our schools.”

And in a letter to parents late Wednesday, Bend-La Pine Interim Superintendent Lora Nordquist said they’ve been planning for in-person instruction for months.

“I started connecting with district and association leaders this afternoon and will continue to expand the conversation to others over the break, as we determine specific dates for our phased-in return, based on this new information,” she said.

But the state’s teacher’s union was less than thrilled with the timing of Brown’s announcement during the holidays, saying it will “only result in an increasingly disparate patchwork of return plans throughout the state’s public education system.”

President John Larson said 70,000 educators and the families of 580,000 students “now must spend the holidays trying to understand what these changes mean for their lives and livelihoods.”

“Today’s announcement from Governor Brown will not help return students safely to Oregon’s classrooms – it will simply continue what has already been months of confusion and uncertainty for Oregon’s students and educators,” he said.

Brown said the nearly $140 million in state and federal resources dedicated to school reopening “put this goal within reach for school districts if communities continue to work together to stop the spread of COVID-19 over the next several weeks.”

She shared some good news on Tuesday, sharing that the post-Thanksgiving spike many had feared did not materialize.

Local cases, although higher than they have been since the pandemic began, are once again starting to decline.

In a statement, Brown said both the Legislature and Congress have dedicated new resources for safe school reopenings in 2021, including an additional $50 million approved during Monday’s special session to support schools in the transition to in-person instruction.

In addition, the legislature also passed legislation during the special session that protects schools from COVID-related lawsuits.

“As 2021 approaches and we look to the remaining school year just over the horizon, it is clear that the greatest gift we can give to Oregon’s children this holiday season is to redouble our efforts to act responsibly and reduce the spread of COVID-19 in our communities,” Brown said. “Our students’ learning, resilience, and future well-being depend on all of us.”

On Wednesday Brown said Oregon educators and child care providers would be prioritized in the next wave of COVID vaccines.

In her letter to the ODE and OHA, she directed the agencies to work with schools to “provide on-site, rapid testing as a safeguard to quickly address symptomatic individuals and those with potential exposure to COVID-19.”

Brown pointed to Washington state where “advisory metrics” have allowed more schools to reopen.

“As our neighbors to the north have demonstrated, this does not mean schools can resume in-person instruction without regard for COVID-19 spread in the community, but instead should carefully consider the metrics in their local context, the needs of students and families, and readiness to implement health and safety protocols,” she said. “As we move into a new year, we must all rise to the challenges that COVID-19 presents and prioritizing our children is most urgent.”

You can read Brown’s full letter to the ODE and OHA below.

12.23.20_Schools Letter_final

Cascade Swim Center reopens in Redmond

Just in time for summer, pools are preparing to open under Phase 2 guidelines.

Redmond’s Cascade Swim Center opened Monday, by reservation only.

“We’ve been closed for about 80 days and we’ve been developing plans for reopening that entire time,” said Jessica Rowan, aquatics director at Cascade Swim Center. “We didn’t have solid directives until last week so it’s been a game of choose your own adventure.”

The center is open for lap swim or water walking by reservation only, one person per lane.

“Wencourage you to come to the facility prepared to get into the water as only one shower per locker room will be open,” according to a post on its Facebook page.

The hot tub is closed. Face coverings are encouraged while you are not in the water.

The Madras Aquatic Center is working on a reopen plan for its pool, which they expect to announce later this week.

And in Bend, the Juniper Swim and Fitness Center says it plans on bringing back swimming and aquatic activities in the near future, but a firm date hasn’t been set.

 

Origin Story: Motherhood Survival Box

For this Week’s Origin Story, Samantha O’Connor introduces us to one Redmond mom who never expected self care to be her passion. After having two kids under two and a teen in the house, she realized the importance of taking time for herself and she knew other mommas needed it to, which is why she started the Motherhood Survival Box.

Melissa plans to add a new postpartum box soon, which will focus on healing for mom and baby. You can find out more or order your own box at motherhoodsurvivalbox.com.

A special thanks to BendBroadband Business for giving us the time and resources to tell the stories of Central Oregonians who turn their passions into a profession, every Monday night on Central Oregon Daily at 5 p.m.

Good Samaritan Helps Redmond Cop Restrain Suspect

Just before nine a.m. Thursday morning, the Redmond Police Department received a call about a disruption at Proust Coffee in downtown Redmond. A man had threatened to assault one of the coffee shop customers, but had left before police could arrive.

Officer Allen Speck, the responding officer, searched the area for the suspect and found 22-year-old Redmond Resident Trenton Yates making his way back toward the coffee shop. Officer Speck identified himself as a police officer and tried to talk to Yates, but things turned physical. Thankfully, a passerby stepped in to help the officer.

Central Oregon Daily spoke to good samaritan Travis Wilson, and Central Oregon Daily’s Anyssa Bohanan has more on this story.

Flights Touch Down in Redmond After Two-Day Closure

After winter weather and damaged equipment closed Redmond Airport the first flights in two days touched down and took off from Redmond this morning. While more delays and cancelations are expected as winter storms continue, the airport is up and running.

Central Oregon Daily’s Anyssa Bohanan checked in with some travelers who were able to get back to Central Oregon this morning.

Damaged Equipment Keeps Redmond Airport Closed Tuesday

The Redmond Airport remained closed on Tuesday after the latest round of a winter storm damaged vital equipment used to help pilots land when there are no visual references for them to use on approach.
Central Oregon Daily’s Anyssa Bohanan looks at the problem and why airport officials are hoping to reopen by Wednesday morning.

More Hotels Coming to Redmond

Redmond could soon see an 50 percent increase in hotel rooms in the city thanks to a number of national chains planning expansions into Central Oregon. This means more revenue for the city as well as more access for visitors.

Central Oregon Daily’s Lisa Carton sat down with Redmond Mayor George Endicott to find out more about how these new hotels could affect the growing city.

Safety Concerns for Highway 97

A fatal crash last week left one woman dead after succumbing to her injuries, and caused extensive delays since the highway was shut down as crews investigated and cleared the scene. Crashes like this aren’t uncommon on this stretch of highway, an issue that has prompted the Oregon Department of Transportation to push for some safety improvements for the corridor between Redmond and Bend, but budget restrictions are proving an issue for the sweeping changes that are likely needed.

Central Oregon Daily’s Allison Roecker spoke with ODOT officials and residents to see what kind of changes could be in store for Highway 97.

Redmond Marching Band Needs New Uniforms

The Redmond High School marching band has been a part of the community since it was started in 1927 and in those 90 years the band has only had three uniforms. Each set of new uniforms has been expected to last over 20 years, but these most recent uniforms have lasted almost a generation. That age shows with some uniforms missing buttons, zippers are broken, some just don’t fit many of the students and students and teachers alike describe the uniforms as “outdated.”

Central Oregon Daily’s resident band kid, and reporter, Anyssa Bohanan has more on how the band hopes to raise $55,000 for new uniforms.