Updated COVID-19 Isolation and Quarantine Guidelines:

On Thursday, Jan. 13, the Hillsboro School District shared a health and safety update with their students, staff, and families, which included information about their alignment with the CDC’s new guidelines for shortened isolation and quarantine. As a reminder, isolation is for people who have COVID symptoms or who have tested positive for COVID, regardless of vaccination status; quarantine is for people who have been exposed to someone with COVID. The chart below shows highlights of these new guidelines, for your reference.

For more information, please see the full communication on their website. 

Note that close contacts due to an exposure in the household may be subject to different protocols; please follow all instructions provided to you by the Contact Tracing team (503-844-1784) for your/your student’s specific situation.

Message from Superintendent Parker -- January 21, 2022:

Dear FGSD Families,

Thank you students, families and staff for your flexibility this week as we pivoted to remote learning in our secondary schools due to the number of staff that have been out ill. As staff have recovered from their illnesses, we are going to reopen FGHS and NAMS on Monday, January 24, 2022. For those families with students at the middle school and high school, please be on the lookout for information that was sent home from the principals this morning with more specific information for starting school on Monday. 

The district will continue implementing layered safety protocols (e.g. ventilation, air purification and sanitation) and encourage all students to maintain appropriate distance and wear appropriate masks. We will have KN95 and KN94 masks available for all staff and students. These masks have proven to be significantly more effective than other masks. Students who want one may pick one up in the front office of their school.

We are hopeful that we are entering a point in this latest variant wave where cases begin to recede. The district’s goal remains keeping our buildings safely open allowing students to remain in the classrooms with their teachers and classmates. Thank you for your patience and partnership. 

Graduation Rates

​​There is no easy way to put it, this past year has been tremendously difficult. The recently released graduation numbers show an overall decrease (see charts below) in the district’s four year graduation rates. While there were increases in several of the student categories, this is not the direction we want to be trending as a district. 

Over the past several years, Forest Grove High School has steadily increased graduation rates. One of the key components of this increase has been the ability to build relationships with students and families, and to encourage students to stay after school to recover credits and complete homework and tests. The shutdown, starting in 2020, didn’t allow FGHS staff as strong of an opportunity to continue these efforts in-person. 

Not only were students severely limited to CDL (comprehensive distance learning) instruction, but on-track meetings with staff and families were limited to zoom meetings rather than in person meetings to help students get back on track. Our staff continued to hold virtual meetings and offer academic and social and emotional support. In addition, we conducted home visits and reached out through phone and social media. Many of our students and families were experiencing difficulties in their lives to meet basic needs and/or were struggling with mental health issues. We continue to support our families and students in all of these areas, as well as academics so students can earn their diploma. 

FGHS staff have been working as a team to identify students who are at risk of not graduating. Staff continue to reach out providing interventions and assistance to recover credits and progress towards graduation. The high school has doubled the number of staff who are focusing specifically on credit recovery. With this type of personalized intervention, we look forward to seeing the number of FGHS graduates increase. 

Bond Dialogue Sessions

The district has been working on our Long Range Facility Planning process for a while now. The district’s goal is to have a bond measure on the ballot for November 2022. The next step in this process is to conduct several community listening sessions. These sessions will help the district develop a comprehensive understanding of how members of the community experience the District’s school facilities. Please consider attending one of these sessions to share your experiences and opinions. Sessions are open to all community members and will be held digitally through Zoom. These meetings (see schedule below) have been set up in a manner to allow individuals to participate in an environment where they feel the most comfortable sharing their experiences. To register for a session please complete the registration form. We look forward to having you join us and share your experiences. In the coming months, there will be more opportunities for the community to provide feedback on the bond planning process and projects.

• BIPOC Students & Families Mon, Jan 31st 6:00 - 7:30 p.m.
• ELL / Migrant Students & Families Tues, Feb 1st 6:00 - 7:30 p.m.
• LGBTQ+ Families Weds, Feb 2nd 6:00 - 7:30 p.m.
• Latinx Students & Families Mon, Feb 7th 6:00 - 7:30 p.m.
• Open Session for Students Tues, Feb 8th 4:30 - 5:30 p.m.
• Open Session for all Families Tues, Feb 8th 6:00 - 7:30 p.m.
• SPED Students & Families Thurs, Feb 10th 6:00 - 7:30 p.m.

Respectfully,

Dave Parker

Superintendent

Free Eye Exam and Glasses

A full eye exam and glasses are covered for ALL children with CareOregon! No CareOregon or insurance? No problem! Pacific University, College of Optometry is currently offering FREE exams and glasses to children without coverage! So either way, your child can get the help they need! Schedule an appointment at one of our five clinic locations today! Get more information on their website. 

Forest Grove: 503-352-2020

Cornelius: 503-352-8543

Hillsboro: 503-352-7300

Beaverton: 503-352-1699

Portland: 503-352-2500

Free Dental Care for Kids (5-18 yrs old)

Pacific University, with the support of Washington County Dental Society, is hosting an event on Saturday February 19. The goal is to provide preventative, palliative and restorative dental care for children. 

• Saturday, Feb. 19 (8 am to 3 pm)
• Pacific University Dental Hygiene Clinic, 2nd floor Creighton Hall (222 SE 8th Ave, Hillsboro)
• The Health Professions Campus is located directly on the MAX light rail line at the Tuality Hospital/SE 8th Ave. stop.
• To make an appointment please contact call 503-352-7373
• A parent or guardian must remain on site while their child receives dental services.
• No insurance or proof of identification required for this event

En español.

Update on the new semester from Hillsboro School District:

First semester ends on Thursday, Jan. 27. There will be no school for all students on Friday, Jan. 28, for teacher grade prep; and on Monday, Jan. 31, for licensed prep. Second semester begins and school resumes for all students on Tuesday, Feb. 1.

Forest Grove Inclement Weather Updates:

Career-technical education endures in Washington County despite COVID-19:

The COVID-19 pandemic has taken valuable time away from students in classrooms across Oregon. But for students in vocational training and career-technical education programs — where hands-on work is critical to learning, and not just a good grade but a future in a promising career is on the line — it's been especially tricky.  However, many students are persevering.

Read more about career-technical education classes in this Forest Gove News Times article.

Important Oregon Emergency Rental Assistance Program Updates:

Oregon Housing and Community Services will begin accepting new applications again for the Oregon Emergency Rental Assistance Program starting on January 26th.

This will be a limited reopening for three to five weeks, depending on the availability of funds. Households with the most need will have priority in accessing resources, not a first-come, first-served basis. 

Applications received on January 26th will be processed after applications received before December 1st. Tenants who apply on or after January 26th may receive safe harbor protections that prevent landlords from evicting tenants until their application is processed. However, those tenants should expect a delay prior to processing and payment.

More information is linked here.

COVID-19 hospitalizations: The number of hospitalized patients with COVID-19 across Oregon is 1,057, which is 12 more than yesterday. There are 152 COVID-19 patients in intensive care unit (ICU) beds, which is nine fewer than yesterday.

There are 60 available adult ICU beds out of 645 total (9% availability) and 228 available adult non-ICU beds out of 4,129 (6% availability).

Hospitalizations expected to peak end of January: The most recent COVID-19 forecast from Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU) projects 1,550 people in Oregon will be hospitalized with COVID-19 by the end of January. This exceeds the peak of the Delta surge (1,178 hospitalizations) but is a decline of about 100 people in the OHSU forecast from the previous week.  

More information about hospital capacity can be found here.

Free N95 masks are arriving at pharmacies and grocery stores:

"Every person is allowed up to 3 free masks pending availability," the Department of Health and Human Services states.

N95 masks are coming from the Strategic National Stockpile, which has more than 750 million of them on hand. The program, which is also distributing the free masks to community health centers around the country, is ramping up in coming days and should be up and fully operational by early February.

Kroger stores with pharmacies will also doling out the masks throughout the chain's Midwest and Southwest locations. Spokeswoman Kristal Howard said the first allotment of masks is expected to arrive on Thursday, January 27th.

Walgreens is also participating in the distribution program, and expects masks to be available by January 28th.

CVS Pharmacy locations will be offering free N95 masks in the coming weeks.

Read more about the upcoming N95 mask distribution in the NPR article, linked here.

Washington County becomes Oregon’s first county to join the federal 'House America' initiative:

I am proud to see that the Washington County Board of Commissioners joined the 'House America', making it the first jurisdiction in the state to join the federal effort.

The House America initiative was developed in response to the nation’s growing homeless crisis, which has been exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic.

“House America is an important initiative given the rise in homelessness we have witnessed in our community,” stated Washington County Board Chair Kathryn Harrington, in a recent release. “There is no one size fits all solution as we work to address the needs of people experiencing homelessness, but I am hopeful seeing the many programs we at Washington County have implemented and will continue to implement to address this crisis.”

With funding and resources provided by the American Rescue Plan and the new HUD Emergency Housing Vouchers (EHV) program, the Washington County Department of Housing Services has been able to grow the number of vouchers for those experiencing homelessness by more than 70%.

You can read more about the initiative in the KOIN 6 article, linked here.

Washington County crafts Native land acknowledgement:

The Washington County Board of Commissioners recently adopted a land acknowledgement statement to recognizing Indigenous peoples as the "original stewards of the land now known as Washington County."

The acknowledgement reads in part: "Signers of the Willamette Valley Treaty of 1855 were removed from their homelands to the Grand Ronde Indian Reservation. Today their descendants are tribal members of Grand Ronde and Siletz tribes, carrying on the traditions and cultures of their ancestors."

It is a formal statement, which will eventually be read at the beginning of county meetings and other events, according to Julie McCloud, county public affairs and communications coordinator.

She said the statement is a first step, and future work regarding it will be led by the county's Office of Equity, Inclusion and Community Engagement. She said staff will work on coming up with a protocol, as well as training for staff regarding the appropriate use of the statement.

You can read more about the acknowledgement in the Hillsboro News Times article, linked here.

Hillsboro Main Street Fire Resources:

In light of the devastating fire along Main Street on January 2nd, I have provided a few resources to help support the recovery effort. I want to thank Hillsboro Fire & Rescue for keeping our community safe and quickly responding to the fire. I would also like to commend the Hillsboro community for coming together to aid those displaced in the fire.  

5 Ways You Can Help

• The Hillsboro Community Foundation has set up the Hillsboro Community Relief Fund to provide resources directly to those in desperate need. Donations can be made online and are tax deductible.
  
  
• Marcus Harvey, the owner of Portland Gear, has designed “Heart for Hillsboro” shirts and sweatshirts. Proceeds from the sale of these products will go toward the Hillsboro Community Foundation Relief Fund above.
  
  
• Insomnia Coffee is accepting donations of gift cards for essential items, such as gas and groceries, that will go directly to those displaced by the fires. Please drop off gift cards at the Downtown Hillsboro Insomnia location at 137 East Main Street.
  
  
• The Hillsboro Downtown Partnership is compiling a list of immediate needs for those affected and displaced by the fires. The list will be posted on the HDP Facebook page in the coming days.
  
  
• Other fundraisers are being planned throughout the community and will be announced through the Hillsboro Downtown Partnership. Be cautious of non-sanctioned fundraisers.

For updates and video, visit the Hillsboro Fire & Rescue Department Twitter feed

*Thank you to Kimberly Culbertson for working with our office to provide the best resources possible.