Gov. Brown sets new metrics for reopening K-12 schools

Gov. Kate Brown announced new health and safety metrics school districts will be required to comply with as they look to return for in-person instruction in the fall.

The new requirements set clear tipping points based on county and statewide data of COVID-19 spread to determine when schools will need to move from on-site learning to a full distance learning model. Even schools planning on hybrid learning models or partial in-person teaching will have to go to just distance learning if their counties pass the threshold announced Tuesday, with some exceptions.

Based on Oregon Health Authority data, it appears there is only one county in Oregon that would meet the metrics for in-person instruction: Wheeler County.

“I am absolutely unwilling to lose an entire school year for any of our kids,” Brown said. “I will push. I will cajole, and I will demand nothing but excellence from our districts and our educators but it is also incumbent on all of us, every community, to take every measure to slow the spread of this disease, so that we can get our kids back into school as quickly as possible.”

Read more: https://www.registerguard.com/news/20200728/gov-brown-sets-new-metrics-for-reopening-k-12-schools
(Eugene Register Guard)