KCSD & Me: News update
March 19, 2021
Dear KCSD community,
Gov. Kate Brown indicated today that the Oregon Department of Education will review new CDC recommendations and work on revised guidance that would allow for 3 feet of physical distancing between students at the elementary level. Guidance for secondary students also will be reviewed.
If these changes are finalized, the Klamath County School District will likely be able to bring back all of our elementary students full-time into classrooms. Where possible, we also will return our 7-12 students to full-time, in-person learning. However, requirements for secondary students appear more complicated, with limits on cohort numbers and ties to county case metrics.
We don’t have all the details yet. We will continue to update our staff and families as more information becomes available.
If these changes are made within the next week, some of our students could return to full-time schedules as soon as April 5. We will continue to work with Klamath County Public Health and follow all health and safety protocols – the wearing of masks, hand washing, sanitizing, and contact tracing and quarantining. Please continue to help us by keeping your students home when they are ill and following COVID-19 safety guidelines.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention updated their guidance March 19. Included was a recommendation that with universal masking students may maintain a distance of at least 3 feet in classroom settings. Read the guidance here: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/community/schools-childcare/schools.html
This is good news! Despite tremendous efforts by teachers and families, many of our students have been struggling with distance learning. We look forward to seeing them back in our classrooms.
Please have a safe and fun spring break!
Sincerely,
Glen Szymoniak
Superintendent, Klamath County School District