Oregon updates in-person learning guidance

PORTLAND  — The Oregon Department of Education on Tuesday issued updated guidance for the return of in-person learning, which includes a requirement that schools provide on-site COVID-19 testing.

The guidance is the most recent push for students to return to school. Earlier this month, Gov. Kate Brown set a Feb. 15 goal for returning more students to the classroom, with a focus on elementary students.

Before winter break, fewer than 10 percent of Oregon’s estimated 580,000 students were receiving some form of in-person instruction, according to data from the Oregon Department of Education.

“We are providing school leaders with the information they need to make local decisions about returning to in-person instruction,” Colt Gill, the director of the state’s department of education, said on Tuesday. “We all know that in-person instruction provides our children and families with access to an equitable education.”

Updated advisory metrics now allow for in-person classes for elementary students at higher levels of community case rates than previously recommended.

A new requirement is that schools provide on-site COVID-19 testing for symptomatic students and staff members and for those who have had a known exposure to a positive case.

The department of education said that as school officials make decisions about returning to in-person instruction, they must also continue to focus on county case counts and following safety protocols — wearing face coverings, distancing and frequent handwashing.