By Corvallis School Trustees, Becky Anderson, Tonia Bloom, Shawn Boelman, Jennifer Channer, Mark Fournier, Dan Wolsky, Todd Wyche
With Thanksgiving just around the corner, the Corvallis School District has a lot to be thankful for and a lot of people to thank.
We are thankful that we have been able have in-person school for the approximately 1,000 students who have chosen that option. We are thankful that, with the assistance of federal and state pandemic relief funds, we have been able to hire staff to instruct the approximately 200 students who have chosen to receive instruction remotely. And we are thankful that until this week, we have been able to conduct in-person school this fall without interruption, with the exception of one limited closure at the Primary School in October.
We owe thanks to Corvallis teachers for mastering a steep learning curve and figuring out how to teach in-person, while simultaneously preparing to move to remote instruction at the drop of a hat. We are grateful for all the custodial and maintenance staff who work tirelessly to keep facilities as clean and disinfected as possible and have worked to upgrade ventilation in all buildings. We thank our administrators, who have dealt with scheduling issues with great creativity and have stepped in to assist an over-burdened county health department by adding contact tracing of potential COVID exposures to their job descriptions. And we thank the food service for figuring out how to feed students both on-site and off-site, so that hunger does not become one of the burdens children and families face.
Above all, we owe thanks to our students and families. Students have adapted like the champs they are to altered schedules, moves in and out of remote learning, and the social distancing and mask wearing that is required in school buildings to keep the virus at bay. arents have heroically managed disruptions to school schedules and periodic quarantines, have learned to help their students when learning has to take place at home, and have supported efforts to prevent spread of the virus at school by promptly reporting any illness or possible exposures in their families.
However, despite everything that has gone well so far this school year, we know we are headed into difficult times in the winter months ahead. COVID infections are spiking dramatically in the state and in our community. The good news is that, although more than 1,000 people occupy our facilities each day that school is open, there has been virtually no evidence of virus spread taking place at school. It appears that the precautions that are being taken – sanitation, distancing, and masks – are pretty effective in preventing and limiting spread at school. The bad news is that the school is not an island and is not immune from the impact of infection in the community.
The quarantines and closures that have taken place have mostly resulted from illness acquired outside the school setting. But once a positive case has been confirmed among students or staff, any close contacts within the school go into quarantine to stop potential spread to other students and staff. When a critical mass of staff or students are unable to come to school, it becomes impossible to keep schools open due to lack of staff to teach and supervise, as well as the additional strain on staff resulting from the need to teach both those in school and those quarantined at home. These are the reasons a decision was made to close both the Middle School and Primary School until November 30.
The virus that causes COVID-19 poses unique challenges for all of us. People who contract it are infectious for several days before they experience symptoms, and some people are infected and infectious without ever showing symptoms. Because of these characteristics of the virus and because community infection rates are currently high and rising, it can be difficult for any of us to know whether or when we have been exposed and if we might be exposing others. But we do know that observing recommended infection preventing precautions (hand washing, social distancing, and wearing masks) as much as possible can go a long way towards reducing infections.
There is relief on the distant horizon in the form of possible vaccines and improved therapies. In the meantime, our hope as we head into the holiday season and the colder winter months is that community spread can be limited, that schools can remain open, and that students, families and all community members remain healthy.
Best wishes for a happy Thanksgiving!