NWASCO D21 Holds Listening Session; Drafts Back to School Plan
Pictured: North Wasco County Public School District 21 School board listening session at The Dalles Middle School on August 12th.
North Wasco County Public School District 21 School Board held an in-person listening session at The Dalles Middle School on August 12th to hear families, staff, and community members share their questions, concerns, and comments regarding reopening schools to full-time in-person learning on August 30th. The purpose of the listening session was to add valuable feedback received from the community to the plan.
The school board incorporated feedback from the community while drafting their “2021/2022 Back to School” plan during their work session on August 19th. The plan was drafted in accordance with guidance and recommendations received from the Oregon Department of Education, Oregon Health Authority, the Center for Disease Control, local data, vaccination rates, facilities capacity, and more. The plan is only a draft and will be adjusted as new guidance comes to light.
The plan outlined three key guiding principles for returning back to school: Ensuring safety and wellness. Centering health and well-being. And cultivating connections and relationships. The plan also incorporated several social-emotional and mental health support elements focused on caring and connection and placed heavy value on establishing routines, structure, and consistency.
The plan also outlined several rules and practices for reducing the spread of COVID-19 in schools such as contact tracing, vaccinations, face coverings, physical distancing, hand washing, maximizing outdoor activities, cohorts, isolation, and quarantine practices, and cleaning.
A slide from the 2021-2022 Back to School Plan presentation. Source.
The Back to School Plan
Grades K-5 6th and 9th will return to school full-time and in-person learning on August 30th. Grades 7-8th and 10th- 12th will return to full-time in-person learning school on August 31st. (6th and 9th grade students will be participating in school orientation to give them an extra day to see the school, navigate easier and talk with staff without the whole student body present.) However, NWCSD is also preparing to offer a virtual online program to families of students who are immunocompromised and/or medically fragile or who live with a member of their family directly impacted by the effects of COVID-19.
D21 will return to existing state requirements including maintaining a communicable disease management plan (consistent with OAR 581-022-220), reinstating a 10-day drop rule for enrollment, administering state assessments, and meeting standard instructional time requirements.
The plan also called for increasing the amount of fresh outdoor air that is introduced into the HVAC system, increased recirculation and filtration, and daily cleaning of high-touch surfaces.
Per OHA guidance, students, staff, and visitors will be required to wear face coverings on the school bus and in school buildings, except while eating, drinking, playing a musical instrument that requires the use of the mouth, and while being the sole occupant of a room behind a closed door. Children under the age of 2 will not be required to wear a face covering. The new mask rules will be reviewed by OHA monthly to determine the need for it to continue.
Slide from the 2021-2022 Back to School Plan. Source.
Where previously staff and students who were exposed to even one case of COVID-19 in a classroom would be quarantined. (An ‘exposure‘ is defined as an individual who has close contact (less than 6 feet) for longer than 15 cumulative minutes in a day with a person who is infected with COVID-19.) Now only students who had unmasked exposure to someone who has tested positive for COVID-19 will be quarantined, masked students and staff who have had exposure will not need to quarantine. In addition, in the event of exposure, vaccinated students may voluntarily disclose their vaccine status, and the quarantine time period may not be required.
A slide from the 2021-2022 Back to School Plan. Source.
The plan stated that the new guidance around when staff and students should quarantine should ensure fewer students spend time out of school under quarantine. Quarantined students will continue to have access to online learning so that they do not fall behind. NWCSD said they would continue to encourage parents to keep children home who were exhibiting COVID-19 symptoms. Students will be screened for COVID-19 symptoms upon arriving at school.
The 2021/2022 Back to School Plan contained some compromises such as not requiring masks to be worn outdoors*, encouraging teachers to do more outdoor learning, incorporating “mask breaks” for students, and a three-feet social distancing requirement in line with recommendations from state and federal agencies.
Lunch and recess times will be socially distanced and students shall remain within stable cohorts. PIctured: A slide from the D21 2021/2022 Back to School Plan. Source.
The school board made a goal of returning athletics to normal operation as much as possible, with a regular travel schedule, regular season, and fans admitted. Masks will be required for indoor sports, fans attending indoor sports events must be masked, and a screening of players will be done at sign-in during practices. Physical education classes will conduct classes outside as much as possible.
Individualized Education Program teams will consider the needs of all special education students as they return to school and will determine if additional services are needed to remedy any unfinished learning due to COVID-19.
For more detailed information about specific guidance view the full 2021-2022 Back to School Plan or watch the School Boards August 19th work session. The next school board meeting will occur on August 26th at 6 p.m.
A Note on Vaccinations
School personnel will be required to be vaccinated by October 18th. At this time, students are not required to get a COVID-19 vaccination to attend school.
Because students under the age of 12 are ineligible for vaccination, visitors and volunteers will not be permitted on elementary school campuses during the school day.
Currently, the best-known tools to protect individuals and students are vaccinations (for those that are eligible), physical distancing, face coverings, good ventilation, proper hand hygiene, and staying home if exposed to someone with COVID-19.
*This may or may not be subject to change due to the new state guidance that was released on August 24th requiring masking in crowded outdoor settings.
