Important Reminders About Health, Safety and Learning during the 2023-24 School Year & FDA Approval and CDC Recommendations for Fall 2023 COVID-19 Vaccine

Oregon Department of Education sent this bulletin at 09/14/2023 08:05 AM PDT

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To: Superintendents, Principals, School Nurses, Communicable Disease Preparedness Liaisons, Charter School Leaders, K-12 Public Information Officers 
From: Kati Moseley, Administrator, Health in Education Unit 
Date: September 14, 2023 
Re: Important Reminders About Health, Safety and Learning during the 2023-24 School Year & FDA Approval and CDC Recommendations for Fall 2023 COVID-19 Vaccine  


Dear Colleagues, 

The 2023-24 school year is underway, and schools are filled with the bustling hubbub of learning, connection, laughter and belonging. With the start of the school year, our focus turns to the fall and winter months, when activities move indoors and we must once again prepare for increased respiratory illness, including flu, RSV and COVID-19. It remains true that the best tools available to protect individual health, the health of families, and the health of our communities are the following:  

It is important to note that the above practices serve as recommended guidelines for preventing and managing illness, rather than being state requirements. 

On September 11, the federal Food and Drug Administration approved and authorized updated COVID-19 vaccines for emergency use. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends the updated COVID-19 vaccination for everyone ages 6 months and older. You can stay abreast of OHA’s information in real time at the OHA Vaccines and Immunizations page, or by subscribing to Oregon Health News. 

The fall and winter are likely to bring increasing questions and concerns to school leaders about illness prevention measures. Because of the exceptional services you and your staff have provided to families navigating the last three school years, students, staff, and families have come to expect meaningful and clear communication from schools and districts related to school health and safety. Your dedication to this communication, which plays a crucial role in helping to prevent the spread of illness, is greatly appreciated.  

The Oregon Department of Education (ODE) remains committed to supporting students and staff throughout the school year and doing our part to ensure healthy and safe learning environments. We recognize that health is foundational to learning and promotes students’ intellectual, emotional, and social growth.  

We all feel the shared aspiration for a return to a sense of normalcy, as districts have developed robust operational strategies via their school-level plans to effectively handle communicable diseases, ensuring they are well-prepared to welcome students and staff for uninterrupted, in-person learning. It is important to take the time now to develop the systems and protocols needed to prevent illness and interrupt it when it does occur. These efforts will progressively become standard practice in the coming years. 

ODE continues to meet regularly with staff from the Oregon Health Authority (OHA), and as we move into the fall and winter months, we are closely monitoring communicable disease data. You can track OHA’s respiratory virus data, including flu, RSV, and COVID-19, along with hospital capacity as it is published at OHA’s data dashboard page. 

ODE remains here to partner. Please don’t hesitate to reach out to ODE’s Health in Education support inbox, ODE.HealthySchools@ode.oregon.gov, with any questions or concerns.