BEND, OR -- The Bend City Council has sent a letter to the state asking them to reopen elementary schools January 4^TH. The letter asks that the state mobilize resources in the next month and take a systematic approach to testing students and teachers who choose to participate in in-person learning. Mayor Sally Russell says the Bend La Pine Schools Board, the Chamber of Commerce and some other community leaders, have also signed the letter. Schools in the Bend La Pine District have not reopened due to the county’s failure to meet state metrics for reopening.