Letter from Superintendent Karen Gray: It is undeniable that this has been an extremely challenging school year. I cannot in mere words express how sorry I am that we have been unable to keep to an education model since last March when this Covid pandemic first hit. This letter updates the staff and community following January 19, 2021, updated RSSL Guidance from Governor Brown and the Oregon Department of Education. In my letter earlier this month, I ended it with a caveat about what might happen on January 19 if the Governor changed things, and now it has happened. Below is a bulleted list of what happened since my last letter:
Oregon adjusted the school metrics for reopening on 1/19/21, putting Lincoln County School District into the yellow zone (and out of the orange zone) for in-person instruction, namely, on-site and hybrid. The actual metrics chart is at the end of this letter.
The Plan described in this letter gets the majority of our staff vaccinated (for those that wanted a vaccination) and brings us through the OHSU scientifically modeled and predicted mid-February Covid surge should it happen. Many of our staff have received the first dose of the vaccine over the weekend of January 15th.
This plan gets the youngest children back in school the soonest (parallel with ODE's guidance listed in this letter).
New guidance from the RSSL: "Over time, if elementary schools can demonstrate the ability to limit transmission in the school environment, the transition to On-Site or Hybrid [for middle and high school].” LCSD will continue to evaluate and plan according to this guidance.
This plan staggers students’ return to the classroom, giving us time to make sure it is safe and efficient at each interval and to have adequate time to make adjustments as needed promptly.
High school students are projected to start at the beginning of Term 4.They are the most difficult to cohort correctly, and they cannot be brought back in the middle of a term because it is too disruptive. Term 3 starts Feb 8; Term 4 starts April 12. They will have finished the year with nine weeks of hybrid for 9-12 students.
LCSD will offer a form of CDL during hybrid. More details to come on this.
Our fully online K-12 program Edmentum will continue to be offered throughout the year.
OUR REOPENING PLAN:
FEBRUARY 1= K-3 Hybrid plus what we had before Dec 19 (Career Technical Education, Future Bound (NMS), Limited In-Person Instruction (LIPI), no and low computer connectivity and wildfire survivors).
FEBRUARY 16= 4-6 Hybrid plus additional LIPI identified students grades 7-12.
MARCH 1 = 7-8 Hybrid (and 9-12 stays with CDL and LIPI)
***BY MARCH 19= The District will review the metrics to decide on a 9-12 Hybrid potential return on April 12. The staggering return gives us time to make sure it is all working well and safely bringing back our high school students.
APRIL 12 (Term 4)= 9-12 Hybrid.
The Guidance states that if the COVID numbers are trending upwards, we are to freeze in place and not add new grades BUT also not go back to CDL. Everyone must be very aware of the school’s safety protocols in the approved ODE Blueprints and explicitly follow them. These safety and health protocols were successfully used in the eight weeks that we had the K-3 hybrid and will continue to be used district-wide.
ATHLETICS: As we continue to move forward towards Season 2 athletics, schools are currently holding optional Season 1 workouts. Please continue to reach out to your building athletic director for more information. Athletic guidance and calendars have been ever-changing, and we will continue to monitor OHA and OSAA regulations. During this time, all LCSD facilities will remain closed to external use.