During the March 9 virtual Hood River County School Board meeting, Superintendent Rich Polkinghorn provided an update on operations and COVID-19 precautions in preparation for the lifting of the statewide mask mandate March 12.
HRCSD Superintendent Rich Polkinghorn is moving to the superintendent position for the White Salmon School District.
He said current COVID-19 data in Oregon shows a sharp decline in omicron cases, with Hood River County reflecting that trend; the county additionally has one of the highest vaccination rate in the state — 83.1% are fully vaccinated (compared to 75.4% statewide) in the 18 and older category, 75.1% ages 12-17 (63.4% statewide) and 43.9% ages 5-11 (33.2% statewide).
Oregon also has one of the highest vaccination rates in the U.S., which is one of the reasons Governor Kate Brown lifted the mask mandate two weeks sooner than expected, he said. The district was originally told the school mask mandate would end March 31, later updated to March 19, and then to March 12.
“Really a job well done by our community to respond to a worldwide pandemic, getting shots in people’s arms and making sure we’re protecting ourselves from the virus, from severe illness, from death from this virus,” he said.
HRCSD’s first day of optional masking was Monday, March 14. Polkinghorn said the district has made this decision based on regular communication from the Oregon Department of Education, Oregon Health Authority and Hood River County Health Department about COVID impacts, trends and operational changes at the state and local level.
Administrators also received input from staff, students and community members “about their wishes in regard to COVID safety specifically regarding masks,” Polkinghorn said. “Of course, not everyone was on the same page, but overwhelmingly, people supported the mask optional approach, really being mindful about respecting people’s personal choices.”
The most recent Ready Schools, Safe Learners (RSSL) Continuity of Services Plan has two substantive changes: Facial coverings and isolation, quarantine and exclusion guidelines.
Students and staff may choose to mask based on personal preference and individual risk assessment, and the district will take steps to ensure the school environment is safe and welcoming to every student and staff member, honoring their individual decisions around COVID safety, he said.
“It’s very clear in the guidance too that in the event that COVID cases surge again (in our community) that there does exist the possibility that we return to masks, but we all hope and don’t expect that to happen,” he said. “But we also want to make sure that (people know) that is possible at some point.”
Contact tracing and quarantine have also been paused statewide, he said. It is expected that students and/or parents and staff will self-screen for symptoms prior to arriving at school, and those who are ill should test for COVID. A positive test means a minimum five-day exclusion from school, and a negative test means students should stay home until symptoms improve.
The district will continue to monitor cases and update its COVID dashboard (available at www.hoodriver.k12.or.us), offer masks at all sites and partner with the Hood River County Health Department, among other precautions that have been in place since students returned to campuses.
The Center for Disease Control’s “Community Risk Levels” have also changed, with a shift from overall cases to hospitalization rates and bed availability to assess a county’s risk level. With widespread access to home testing, cases aren’t being reported as reliably to the health department.
“This approach still relies on all of us to protect each other and our communities,” he said. “Wearing those masks when they’re needed, when you want to wear them indoors, getting your vaccines, taking those precautions that we’re all very familiar with now.”
Hood River County is in the low category, and the CDC simply recommends residents stay up to date on COVID vaccinations and get tested when symptoms occur. People may still choose to wear a mask at any time, and those with symptoms, a positive test or exposure to COVID should wear a mask.
In other news, volunteers are now being accepted at all sites; those interested are asked to complete an application (available in English and Spanish), which will be used to complete a federal and state background check. Once approved, volunteers should reach out to their school principals for available opportunities. For more information about volunteer guidelines or assistance completing the form, contact Meghan West, superintendent and board of directors administrative assistant, at meghan.west@hoodriver.k12.or.us.
Polkinghorn also reported he had been briefed on a series of legislative changes and how they impact public schools. The first, House Bill 4030, provides $100 million in non-competitive grants to schools for recruitment and retention bonuses for staff. He noted the Oregon Department of Education had not informed districts what their individual shares of those funds will be, but once that information is known, he will work with labor groups and administrators “to strategize how to use these funds.”
The second, HB 5202, provides $150 million for the implementation of summer school and enrichment programs, with $100 million dedicated to K-12 schools; districts are required to match 25% of the funds received. “We have committed $300,000 in our SIA plan for summer learning,” Polkinghorn said. “This means we can put together about a $1.2 million summer school program, which matches the funding level for last year’s program.” HRCSD is formulating plans for this year’s programming.
Commented