[Required Report] COVID-19 School Status Update 

Oregon Department of Education sent this bulletin at 09/23/2020 02:39 PM PDT

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Oregon Department of Education - Oregon achieves - together
ready Schools, Safe Learners. Guidance for the 2020-21 School Year

The Oregon Department of Education (ODE) is implementing a new weekly report to better understand every school’s COVID-19 School Status. We recognize schools are under tremendous pressure right now and you need to prioritize your time. However, the state needs additional data to provide better service and to better understand the impacts of COVID-19 on school communities so we can take more steps to safely open to in-person instruction. We are limiting the information request to the greatest degree possible and making submission as simple as possible. This report will continue until all students have returned to in-person instruction. 

We are requesting that each district, private school system, or public or private school designate an individual who will be responsible for completing this simple report each week. To avoid duplication of response data, please coordinate responses at the district or private school system level wherever possible and remain consistent throughout the response period.  

This weekly report is required for all public and private schools in Oregon. We are requesting the initial report be submitted by 5pm Friday September 25th. 

Once you have initially submitted information about your school, each week we will email you to update two data points by 5pm on Friday: 

  1. The date of the week for which you are reporting 
  2. What instructional model(s) you are using 

If you are including an instructional model different from or in addition to Comprehensive Distance Learning, we will ask you to also update: 

  1. The approximate number of students you have onsite each day 
  2. The approximate number of cohorts you have onsite each day 

Please complete this short COVID-19 School Status Update report for each school. 

There are a number of reasons for this request: 

  • Our partners at the Oregon Health Authority (OHA) are preparing to implement fairly extensive testing around the first cases associated with schools – enhanced surveillance – they have lined up resources to do that. In order to be ready OHA needs to know where to place these resources geographically ahead of a confirmed case in a school. There is still little data worldwide about the spread of COVID-19 in school settings. This enhanced surveillance effort will help us understand how to respond to COVID-19 cases in schools and help us maintain in-person instruction.  
  • The federal government has also committed to provide COVID-19 tests to schools across the country. When these tests are received, we will work with our public health partners to determine the best way to distribute and implement this resource. Knowing each school’s status will be important. 
  • We continue to seek opportunities for other resources like PPE, cloth face coverings, etc. Again, understanding each school’s current status can help with distributing resources where they are needed. 
  • This information may help with eventual vaccine distribution and dissemination.  
  • State leaders need to understand how schools are operating in different parts of the state and how to replicate successful implementation models.  

Thank you for cooperating and completing this short COVID-19 School Status Update  report. If you have questions, please contact ODECOVID19@ode.state.or.us.  

 

Sincerely, 

Colt Gill, Director of the Oregon Department of Education