Bend-La Pine Schools eye return to all in-person classes by April 12

(Update: Adding video, Nordquist comments)

If state adopts new CDC guidance; parents, students will have online options

BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) -- With new federal social distancing guidance under review by the state, Bend-La Pine Schools has updated its plans and intends to return all students to full in-person instruction by April 12, Interim Superintendent Lora Nordquist told parents late Friday.

"We have a range of opinions," Nordquist told NewsChannel 21.

"I think the hybrid schedule that we have been doing in grades 4 through 12 is very, very challenging, from a teaching perspective, and it's very, very challenging for our students. So I think many of them much prefer to have the students all-in. I've already received several emails from staff who are very excited. I'm sure not everyone feels that way."

Here's her letter, in full:

RE: New CDC Guidance, Anticipated Plan for Return to ALL-IN In-person Instruction for All Students

Bend-La Pine Schools Parents and Guardians,

As spring arrives, COVID-19 spread stays low, and more community members receive vaccinations, I can feel our world shifting and optimism returning. Tomorrow is the first day of spring and, fittingly, we are hopeful to start another new chapter, together.

We made a conscious decision to prioritize in-person instruction, and we were the first large district in Oregon to return to in-person learning. This is a priority because our schools have seen many students struggle during distance learning, with negative impacts on attendance, grades, and mental health over the past year. Additionally, in-person learning allows for more hands-on instruction (ceramics, welding, culinary, and chemistry to name just a few) and inter-personal connections between students and staff. We feel more confident bringing students back, as well, because studies continue to show that schools are not major sites of COVID-19 spread.

Today the CDC announced new guidance for physical distancing in school settings, reducing distance requirements from six feet to three feet in many instances, so long as COVID-19 safety protocols are maintained. This change in guidance could allow us to offer ALL-IN instruction to more students, as the distancing requirements were the major factors preventing us from having students in grades 4-12 attend every day.

Governor Kate Brown and Oregon Health Authority’s Dr. Dean Sidelinger addressed these changes during a mid-day press conference. They confirmed that they have been in active communication with the Oregon Department of Education and will “get those guidelines incorporated into Ready Schools, Safe Learners guidelines as quickly as we can, so that schools will have that in place as they plan the rest of their school year and have conversations in their communities.”



With news of this impending statewide change, Bend-La Pine Schools has developed a proactive plan to return our students to ALL-IN full-time, in-person learning, pending the formal change at the state level:

This plan is dependent upon the Oregon Department of Education applying the CDC’s new guidance to their Oregon’s Ready School Safe Learners guidance by March 30, 2021.

*Westside Village and Three Rivers School will operate on the K-5 schedule, above.
** Schools will communicate student conference dates. Conferences will be scheduled for mid- to late-April. 


Again, I want to remind families that, while this our plan, it could change based on state guidance. We believe that by proactively planning ahead for a change to Oregon’s Ready Schools, Safe Learners Guidance, we can give families more time to begin making adjustments to their own planning. We will keep you all updated as we receive new information about a formal change to Oregon’s distancing requirements.

For those families who are not comfortable for in-person learning, or who have found success with distance learning, we will continue to offer remote instruction opportunities. Families may enroll in the District Comprehensive Distance Learning program or Bend-La Pine Schools Online. Please contact these programs on, or after, March 29.

Thank you, families, for your partnership and flexibility during the past year as we do our best to serve our students. Please know that we are thinking of you and will keep you informed as plans are solidified or change.

Sincerely,
Lora Nordquist, Interim Superintendent