C.O. school superintendents ask Gov. Brown, OHA, ODE to ease class distancing rules
Also are asking to double limit for individual student contact, to 200
BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) -- All seven of Central Oregon's public school superintendents joined in a letter to Gov. Kate Brown and other state officials this week, requesting reduced distancing and other revised COVID-19 requirements to help their districts resume full-time, in-person classes.
Here's the full letter, provided Thursday to NewsChannel 21 (a Bend-La Pine spokeswoman said they apparently have not yet received a response):
Governor Brown, Director Allen, and Deputy Superintendent Gill,
As the superintendents of all K-12 districts in Central Oregon, representing over 32,000 Oregon students, we urge you to make the necessary revisions to the state’s Ready Schools, Safe Learners requirements so that all our region’s students can return to full-time instruction. Specifically, we are asking for the following changes:
- Reduce the physical distancing requirement from 6 feet to 3 feet, or 1 meter, to align with the World Health Organization’s recommendation in its December, 2020, checklist for reopening schools (the capacity to maintain a distance of at least 1 metre: a) outside classrooms for both students [all age groups] and staff; and b) inside classrooms, based on age considerations and local COVID-19 transmission intensity).
- Aligned with the first proposed change, eliminate the 35 square feet per person requirement for determining room capacity. Instead, use the 3 feet of physical distancing requirement to maintain appropriate spacing.
- Expand the 100-person limit for individual student contact to 200. Our districts have found that with safety protocols such as masking, cleaning, handwashing, and distancing in place for our middle and high school students, we have not needed to quarantine large groups of students based on school exposures.
It is clear from the Governor’s executive order issued Friday that she too sees the urgency in returning Oregon’s students to in-person learning. However, for those of us who have been forced to create hybrid schedules due to the requirements addressed above, we know that while better than CDL, these schedules severely limit students’ learning and create stress for our staffs.
As a region, we have been committed since this summer to returning our students to the classroom. Our schools have proven to be safe for students and staff; our staff have been vaccinated; and we have provided alternatives for students and families who cannot return. We urge you to visit our schools to see both our successes in following RSSL requirements and our challenges in the absence of changes.
Finally, just as Governor Brown’s executive order carries far greater weight than her previous recommendations, we ask that the RSSL requirements change, rather than becoming advisory. Our districts have worked closely with our associations to bring students back to our schools, and many of us have commitments to follow the requirements in this document. We believe these changes reflect international studies and current science, and we believe they are appropriate in a landscape where more individuals are vaccinated daily.
We are happy to speak individually or collectively with you regarding this letter.
Lora Nordquist
Superintendent
Bend-La Pine Schools
Sara Johnson
Superintendent
Crook County School District
Stefanie Garber
Superintendent
Culver School District
Paul Andrews
Superintendent
High Desert ESD
Ken Parshall
Superintendent
Jefferson County School District
Charan Cline
Superintendent
Redmond School District
Curt Scholl
Superintendent
Sisters School Distric
