Family Letter 9.28

 

Bend-La Pine Schools’ Families,

 

Today, I am writing to share disheartening news. Due to a spike in COVID-19 cases within Deschutes County this past week, we will be unable to provide in-person learning for K-3 students on the timeline we had planned.

 

We have been tracking Oregon Health Authority’s daily case reports for Deschutes County, unfortunately, it appears as if Deschutes County has not met the metric guidelines for K-3 return to in-person learning.

 

The clock, in a word, has reset, and we must now start at the beginning and meet the health metric guidelines for three straight weeks.

 

We are required by the Oregon Department of Education and Gov. Kate Brown to meet the county metrics for three consecutive weeks PRIOR to opening for in-person learning for our K-3 students.

 

This means the earliest we could potentially begin the transition to hybrid/balanced learning for K-3 is Oct. 26. We remain committed to reopening for in-person learning as soon as the metrics allow us to do so.

 

Due to these changing circumstances, we are postponing the public town hall presentations slated for tonight. They will be rescheduled as we get closer to bringing students back for in-person instruction.

 

Thank you for your continued partnership as we continue to navigate these challenging times. This is not what anyone wanted for this year. Please know I am thinking about you and your families every day.

 

Sincerely,

 

Lora Nordquist