Oregon governor ordering teachers to return to classroom

[OneCrazyDiamond]

Source: Associated Press

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) -- Oregon Gov. Kate Brown said Friday she is issuing an executive order mandating that all K-12 public schools provide universal access to in-person learning by the month's end for students up to fifth grade and by mid-April for older students.

The state's coronavirus case numbers have fallen sharply in recent weeks and Oregon put teachers ahead of older residents in the line for the COVID-19 vaccine -- a decision that angered many people 65 and up. As teachers get vaccinated, Brown has been under tremendous pressure from parents and local elected officials in many counties to reopen schools.

Oregon Gov. Kate Brown said Friday she is issuing an executive order mandating that all K-12 public schools provide universal access to in-person learning by the month's end for students up to fifth grade and by mid-April for older students.

The state's coronavirus case numbers have fallen sharply in recent weeks and Oregon put teachers ahead of older residents in the line for the COVID-19 vaccine -- a decision that angered many people 65 and up. As teachers get vaccinated, Brown has been under tremendous pressure from parents and local elected officials in many counties to reopen schools.

Many teachers' unions nationally have balked at a return to in-person learning, putting them at odds with Democratic governors like Brown in some states.

In neighboring Washington state, Gov. Jay Inslee has implored educators to return to the classroom, but most students there are in on-line classes and the Seattle teachers' union is defying a district plan to return special education students to schools. In Chicago, the teachers' union agreed last month to return to class with expanded access to vaccinations and metrics that will lead to school closures again if case numbers spike.

Under the Oregon order, students in K-5 must have an in-person learning option by March 29. Students in grades six through 12 must have one by April 19. Students who prefer to remain in online class will also have the option.

Read more: https://apnews.com/article/portland-coronavirus-pandemic-oregon-99d73e5842ec85081a0b81963069cbf2

[LovingA2andMI]

1. This is a Domino Effect Folks....

Everything will be back to normal by June, everywhere. If you got a Vac or not. It started in Texas and states will unfortunately fall in line.

[speak easy]

2. 'Oregon put teachers ahead in the line for the COVID-19 vaccine '

[Tree Lady]

4. You beat me to it

Teachers got shots before seniors in this state. Which I was ok with since we are retired and can stay home. We got our first shot last week so didn't take much longer.

[dustyscamp]

5. Good move!

[roamer65]

3. 1,000,000 dead by end of year.

That is my prediction.

[TimeToGo]

6. I'm more hopeful than that

I hope your prediction is wrong, but . . .

[WVGIRL]

8. I am a teacher in WV...

I'm a public school teacher in WV. We have a very strong union and successfully had a statewide work-stoppage a couple of years ago that made national news and paved the way for other states to follow. We have a Republican governor and legislature that is at odds with us constantly. Our governor recently overrode our local board in Monongalia County by telling us that we had to switch from blended, or part-time with each group, A and B students, to both groups attending every day by March 1. Our county wanted to wait til mid-march. This doubled our class sizes, however, all staff over age 40 were fully vaccinated by March 1. Staff under age 40 had to play the hunger games to get a vaccine, some going to neighboring Maryland to get one. At this point, only 'some' of our staff under age 40 have been fully vaccinated.
We have been back for a week. It's nearly impossible to keep Pre k children apart, and a part of the class have masks that drop below nose or they fight to wear them. I'll let you know what happens! I hope we don't have a surge in COVID!
Nevertheless, it is good to see all the kids so happy playing together, and to not have to do that remote instruction! We hated it! Esecially with the little ones!

[Sancho]

9. ...it's not just the vaccine...

Yes, getting a vaccine is important, but schools need more changes to open than the vaccine availability:

1.) Students are CROWDED in many rooms - on busses, in cafeterias, in hallways, on playgrounds, and in classrooms. It's not that many children catch the virus (some do), but the adults DIE. I personally knew two educators in my area who died (ages 41 and 65).
2.) Some schools have terrible ventilation. Many older buildings don't have central systems. Virtually none have pathogen-level filters or UV scrubbing. That needs to be fixed.
3.) Many families are not truthful about infected kids, and testing is slow, and notification is slow. By the time a positive student is identified, they have usually been wandering around the school for several days or a week. Tracing is non-existent and "self-report" by the families for the most part.
4.) School districts don't want to invest in plastic barriers or curtains or entrance-screening stations.
5.) Teachers already spend lots on their classrooms and materials, and some school districts don't provide PPE (gloves, masks, etc.).
6.) School districts don't always deal well with teachers who get sick. Employees may have some paid days built up, but those run out quickly if someone misses work for several weeks or a hospital stay. Schools need to deal with long-term illness contracted while on the job.

Yes, money is an issue, but also schools and school boards are resistant to a number of CDC recommendations - and they certainly don't want a precedent that would make schools safer. Those of us who have been in classrooms for many years (I started in 76) have long memories of the germ factory that we work in...so most of us were careful and getting vaccines (long before covid-19. Teachers are sensitive because virtually all teachers have seen some bug spread around the school and staff just about every year. The difference here is that this virus kills a certain number of people, and no one wants to be the last teacher to die before things get better.

[NH Ethylene]

10. At my school if we have to quarantine due to exposure at school, we are not paid.

If we have sick days we can use them, I think. (Not sure. I don't have many because I used them all up on cancer recently).

AND we have to continue to make sub plans!

[Sancho]

11. Exactly!! Some schools have a large number of quarantined staff without pay.

...and we have a teacher here who contracted covid-19 last spring and still suffers some long term effects. The school simply says that she can quit or apply to be disabled. Even with district insurance the copays are lots of money. Our board recently wanted to get rid of the "sick pool" that we've had for decades.

The media only focus on the vaccine, and miss some of the issues.

[NH Ethylene]

12. I wondered if my school would honor using the sick bank for covid issues.

With the attitude toward teachers currently, I suspect they would say no.

I'd like to see some of this challenged in court someday. If someone gets covid at work due to work conditions, they should at least get Workman's Comp. And certainly nobody should be home making sub plans when they are not being paid.