Q&A Synthesis Addressing Two-Week Freeze

Oregon Department of Education sent this bulletin at 11/18/2020 09:04 AM PST

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Q&A Synthesis Addressing Two-Week Freeze


Dear School Leaders,

COVID-19 has reached a period of exponential growth across the world. This escalation of infections is also being experienced within the United States. This health context required Governor Brown to implement a two-week freeze on many social activities in the hopes of mitigating community spread, limiting impact on hospital resources, and saving lives. 

The Oregon Department of Education (ODE) and the Oregon Health Authority (OHA), under the direction of the Governor, previously released Ready Schools, Safe Learners guidance, which resulted in questions related to this guidance under the two-week freeze. To address these questions, ODE leadership held a series of information sharing and Q&A events on November 13 and 14. This document highlights themes drawn from the questions asked during these events.

Data Source

Data for this synthesis were drawn from the chat participation and follow-up emails for each session hosted by ODE leadership. During each event, ODE staff worked to gather questions, draft and vet answers, and respond to participants in real time. Specific events from which questions were culled include:

  • COSA Superintendents, ESD Reopening Advisors, and Education Partners on November 13, 2020
  • Charter School Leaders Meeting on November 13, 2020
  • Private School Leaders Meeting on November 13, 2020
  • All ODE Staff Meeting on November 13, 2020
  • OSBA Annual Convention Presentation on November 14, 2020

Themes

The following themes emerged in reviewing the questions asked by participants at these sessions:

  1. Legal Authority for the Freeze
  2. Non-Education Related Impact of the Freeze
  3. Impact of Freeze on Working/Operational Conditions (e.g., Work From Home)
  • Quarantine/Isolation Due to Travel
  • Limited In-Person Instruction (LIPI)
  • Requirements vs. Recommendations
  • Bargaining/Leave Issues
  • Need for Technical Assistance from ODE
  • Supporting Ongoing Partnerships with Local Public Health Authorities (LPHAs)

    • Questions have been grouped by theme, combined to reduce redundancy, and edited for clarity within the document.

    Please continue to use the ODECOVID19@ode.state.or.us inbox for additional questions.

    Thank you!