Case rates of COVID-19 have been falling for the past several weeks across the state and in Washington County. That is great news for many reasons, but one major benefit is that it may allow us to begin to bring K-3 students into our schools for in-person instruction in a hybrid model sometime in the next few weeks. Spread of the virus will need to remain low in order for this to occur, but this is great news for our youngest learners and their families!

This is the first of several communications that will keep families updated as the situation unfolds. Please read the important information below and stay tuned for additional details in the coming weeks.

As you may know, on July 28, 2020 the Governor announced data-based metrics that set forth the conditions that must be met in order for K-12 schools to return to in-person instruction in a hybrid model:

Grades K-3:

• County Metrics - need to be met three weeks in a row:

• Case rate of 30 or fewer cases per 100,000 people per week

• Test positivity: 5% or less in the preceding 7 days

• No cases of COVID-19 in students or staff for the previous 14 days

Grades 4-12:

• County Metrics - need to be met three weeks in a row:

• Case rate of 10 or fewer cases per 100,000 people per week

• Test positivity: 5% or less in the preceding 7 days

• State Metric - needs to be met three weeks in a row:

• Test positivity: 5% or less in the preceding 7 days

At the start of the school year, Washington County and the State had not met the metrics for opening for in-person instruction; therefore, Sherwood schools started the school year in a distance learning model. Since then, case rates have been falling, both across the state and in Washington County. This past week, for the first time the County met the metrics that would allow for students in grades K-3 to return to in-person instruction in a hybrid model. In Washington County, the case rates were 26.1 cases per 100,000 people over the course of last week, with a test positivity rate of 4.5%. This is fantastic news for our youngest learners!

The County must continue to meet all of those metrics again for the next two weeks to allow for the possibility of bringing our K-3 students back to our schools in an in-person, hybrid model. We will communicate each week to keep families and students apprised of the situation as it unfolds.

School metrics from the Oregon Health Authority are generally released early each week and can be found here.

The District is currently making plans to bring K-3 students back to campus, should case rates continue to meet the metrics set forth by the Governor. This only applies to students who are enrolled in the Comprehensive Distance Learning/Hybrid model; students enrolled in the Sherwood Cloud Campus will continue to learn remotely and will not attend school in-person.

Should we continue to meet the metrics, the earliest date we may begin to bring small groups of K-3 students into school in-person is the week of October 5th. The earliest date to potentially begin in-person instruction is sometime in the later half of the week of October 12th. We will watch case rates carefully and keep the safety of students and staff at the front of our thinking. These dates are tentative and could change at any time, with limited notice. We are once again asking for flexibility from staff and families as we navigate the balance between health and safety of our students and staff and our strong desire to have students in our schools.

After proactively considering all factors involved, the District will not hold school for five days (for grades K-3 only; other grades will operate normally) in order to train teachers in new health and safety protocols, allow them time to prepare their classrooms and curriculum, and develop new classroom and school routines that align with the health and safety protocols set forth by the Oregon Department of Education and the Oregon Health Authority. These measures are important for keeping our staff and students healthy, and will require training and attention to detail to implement them effectively; the safety of our students and staff is of the utmost importance.

In subsequent communications, we will communicate the days in which school will be closed and when students will return to campus. Again, flexibility is important. The timelines will be dictated by the spread of the virus and the health and safety of our students and staff.

Regarding students in grades 4-12, we will continue to watch those metrics as well and are hopeful for a return to in-person instruction in a hybrid model at some point during the school year. However, case rates will have to continue falling for an extended period of time to meet the metrics set forth by the governor for older students. We will keep you posted.

Going forward, we will continue to communicate with you on this topic, not only sharing information about whether or not metrics are being met, but also providing you with more information that you will need regarding starting school in person such as daily schedules, arrival and dismissal routines, and other things that will look different than in other years. We are hopeful and excited about the prospects of seeing our youngest learners back in our schools in-person!