The Oregon Health Authority (OHA) is projecting hospitalizations to decrease to pre-Omicron levels by the end of March and thus planning to lift the statewide indoor mask requirement at that time.The Medford School District’s priority is, and has been throughout this pandemic, to provide the best education possible for students while keeping students, staff, and the community safe. We continue to follow the science and projections from health experts, as well as all requirements from ODE. We are leaning towards shifting our guidance to masks being optional as soon as the requirements are lifted for schools. Currently, masks are still mandatory indoors until March 31st. If you have any questions, please join us for our next On the Record meeting Tuesday, February 22nd at 4pm.

Read our full message here.

This summer, we are once again hosting our Summer Experience for students in kindergarten through 12th grade! The number of teachers and staff signed up to teach and assist will determine how many students we can serve. This is a great opportunity for flexible hours (half days and no Fridays) and you can choose to work one session or all three. Staff will also be highly compensated at curriculum rate and there will be significant prep hours. This is also a chance to teach a new subject and get creative! Positions will be posted on the district website on March 1st.

There will be three sessions, from Jun 21st through August 11th. Sessions will be half days from Monday - Thursday.

• Session One: Tuesday, June 21 through Thursday, July 7. (Not in session Fridays, Monday June 20th or Monday, July 4th.)

• Session Two: Monday, July 11 through Thursday July 28th. (Not in session Fridays)

Session Three: Monday, August 1 through Thursday August 11th. (Not in session Fridays)

February 7th through February 11th is School Counselor Week. We are very appreciative to have such passionate and helpful counselors at the Medford School District. School counselors are such an integral part in serving students and removing barriers through a multi-tiered system of support. This school year, we have added nine Social-Emotional Advocates (SEAs) to our elementary schools, joining the two Middle School Counselors, and 12 High School Counselors. If you see a counselor, make sure you tell them thank you!

February is Black History Month and throughout the Medford School District we are honoring the achievements, resilience, and legacies of Black Americans in our classrooms. This month, we have teamed up with United Way of Jackson County, RVTD and other local school districts to remember Rosa Parks for her bravery and resilience when she did not give up her seat on a bus in 1955. You can learn more about this campaign here. We are also hosting a Black Youth Leadership Summit led by our partners Black Southern Oregon Alliance on February 24th at 8:15am. Join us in celebrating the contributions of Black Americans throughout the month of February!

Beginning January 15, 2022, employees and family members over the age of two who are covered on the MSD Regence Health plans will be eligible to be reimbursed for the cost of eight antigen COVID test kits per month.

• You can purchase the test kits at an in-network pharmacy and the pharmacy will bill Regence directly.

• If you purchase the test kit from an out of network pharmacy, reimbursement is limited to a net cost of $12 per test kit, for up to 8 tests per month. You can submit claims for reimbursement online at www.regence.com or you can submit for reimbursement using this form.

If you have questions about the home COVID test kit program, please check out these FAQs or call Regence at 1-866-240-9580.

The Oregon Department of Education would like to hear your opinions on high school graduation requirements. In 2021, the state legislature directed the Oregon Department of Education (ODE) to review state high school graduation requirements. As part of that work, ODE wants to know what matters most to people about earning a high school diploma in our state. There will be an online (Zoom) community conversation for community members in our region on February 22, 2002, 6:00-8:00pm. Register here to participate.