What it takes for regular in-person learning
/There is some confusion about what it takes to have students in schools for regular in-person learning, here is an explanation
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Press release by Klamath Falls City Schools
To start grades K-3 in person we must have 21 or fewer new COVID-19 cases per week for 3 consecutive weeks in Klamath County. We also must have a 5% or less positivity rate on COVID-19 tests in the county for those weeks to qualify.
For grades 4-12 to start in person we must have 7 or fewer new cases per week for three consecutive weeks along with a 5% or less positivity rate in the county and the state for those weeks.
The four main reasons the KFCS did not start K-3 immediately were:
The district does not have liability immunity for COVID-related lawsuits and we have no liability insurance to cover COVID lawsuit damages. We had hoped the state was going to grant this immunity in a special session; therefore, we were waiting for that to happen before having students back in school. Unfortunately, this still has not been addressed at the state level.
The district did not want elementary schools to have to plan two different start-up plans, one for K-3 and one for 4-5; therefore we chose to have all students start with CDL to give teachers time to learn and implement the Canvas system before dealing with in-person learning and logistics.
The district felt it would be beneficial to have more time to finalize all our safety protocols in our COVID blueprints at each school.
The district had no idea it was going to be so hard getting these county COVID numbers down to an acceptable level. We were going well at the time of the decision. Since then our Klamath numbers have skyrocketed.
The district does have some students coming in now for some limited in-person learning for special purposes. This does not, however, replace their comprehensive distance learning instruction.
The Klamath County schools have K-3 in-person learning happening two days per week per student since they chose to do this from the start of the school year.
Despite the unfavorable metrics in Klamath County, It is easier to keep students in school once they have resumed in-person learning than it is to qualify to get them in school if they are not currently doing in-person classes (as long as the local health department approves, they can continue in-person learning despite the metrics).
Additionally, some of their rural and remote schools have fallen under a lower metrics exception issued by ODE that allows them more flexibility to have in-person instruction for grades 4-12.
We are hopeful that this information is helpful to our families and wish to reiterate that our students and staff continue to be at the top of our priorities, just as they were when our original decisions were made.
In-Person Learning Start Date Delayed
Due to higher than allowed COVID new case numbers in Klamath County last week, the district must delay in-person learning in our schools for at least three more weeks.
Should there be three consecutive weeks of lower new COVID infections, the earliest students would return back to half-day in-person learning would be the week of October 26th.
At this time, looking ahead, KFCS plans to have students return to school on Wednesday, October 28th. Families would be contacted late Monday, the 26th or Tuesday the 27th, with definitive information as to whether or not in-person learning will begin on Wednesday, October 28th.