January is School Board Recognition Month in Oregon.

Creswell School District is joining with other districts throughout the state to recognize the important contributions school board members make to our communities.

School board members contribute their time and talents toward advancement of public education. They represent a continuing commitment to local citizen control and decision-making in education.

The students of Creswell School District are served well by their School Board. Their commitment and dedication to our community is appreciated.

It is with high regard that we give this recognition to our dedicated local leaders: Board Chair Mike Anderson, Board Vice Chair Lacey Risdal, Director David Eusted, Director Kandice Lemhouse Worsham, Director Mark Parker, Director Debi Wilkerson, and Director Ashley Miller 

Dear Creswell Parents, Guardians, Students and Staff,

First, thank you for your patience and support through these unprecedented conditions and rapidly changing directions from state and health authorities. I know this has been challenging and frustrating for all of us in our personal lives, work situations and educating our kids.

I’d like to take this opportunity to follow up on my last letter sent at the beginning of this week, to give you an update and provide some clarity on where we stand as a district in terms of on-site learning. Like you, we are looking forward to the time when all students are safely back in school with us.

Returning students safely back to on-site learning is a high priority and our goal in CSD. Our District leadership team has been working diligently to develop Blueprint Plans for limited in-person on-site learning, hybrid on-site learning and athletics participation 6-12.

In this letter, you will find:

• Information on the Governor’s changes and direction to ODE and OHA.
• Current Lane County and Creswell COVID-19 metric case counts.
• Where we are and where we are going with on-site learning.

Changes in State Guidelines for Schools:

Governor Brown has asked local school districts to continue making decisions based on science and public health and safety as we work toward in-person on-site learning. This has been our goal and we will be continuing in that path. The Governor also informed us that educators have been moved up in the vaccine distribution to Group 1b. That could happen anytime between a few weeks to a few months from now.

Oregon has established public health metrics to guide decisions for in-person on-site learning. Her recent direction to ODE and OHA was to shift the state metrics by January 1, to “advisory” recommendations for on-site learning from mandatory restrictions. Although she directed this shift to ODE and OHA, she maintained that the metrics would continue to be used as the guide for districts and schools to return safely to on-site learning. Her direction to ODE and OHA also included a review of the thresholds for COVID-19 case rates and the state metrics as well as the Ready Schools, Safe Learners guidance by January 19. OHA was also directed to develop a plan for rapid on-site testing to be available in schools. We are looking forward to the release of the upcoming guidance from ODE and OHA to adjust our Blueprint plans for on-site learning to the greatest extent possible.

Current COVID-19 Metric Case Counts:

As I have stated, the health and safety of our students and staff are the absolute priority in CSD. Current COVID-19 case rates remain in the Extreme Category for both Lane County and Creswell. The Lane County cases are currently at 318 per 100,000 and they must be considered for CSD reopening, not only because county rates are required by the state and OHA, but also because over 50% of our District staff reside in the Eugene/Springfield communities and approximately the same percentage of our Creswell community work in Eugene/Springfield as well. The Creswell case rates as reported by OHA on 12/4/2020, was 191 total cases, 35 active cases. When applying the CDC cases per 100,000 population formula, Creswell was above Lane County rates at 419 cases per 100,000. I will continue to work closely with Lane County Public Health Network to determine next steps in the school reopening process.

• At this time, we continue to be under the direction of the state with the metrics until the January 19 ODE revision is released.
• We have been informed by our district insurance carrier that we will not be covered for COVID-19 related liabilities, if we are not following all RSSL guidance and health authority recommendations.
• We will continue to make decisions based on the local public health data and metrics to determine when its safe for students to return to in-person on-site learning modes.

The state and OHA health and safety measures (160 of them), also continue to be required on district property, including wearing face masks, maintaining 6’ physical distance, cohort limitations and group size limits.

Where we are with on-site learning and next steps:

• CSD will continue to provide CDL and COA online learning as our primary mode of instruction and will adjust to on-site instruction in accordance with health and safety regulations and state and ODE guidance.
• We have completed a survey to get input from parents/guardians, staff and students for moving forward with Comprehensive Distance Learning, Creswell Online Academy, and in-person on-site learning.
• We have completed Blueprints for limited in-person on-site learning for CES, CMS, and CHS.
• Teachers have offered input and recommendations for select students to participate in limited on-site learning based on educational, relational, curricular, instructional, and/or assessment needs.
• Principals are in the process of collaborating with staff at their building levels to develop small groups of students for limited in-person on-site learning to begin the week of January 18.
• Principals will be providing information to families regarding their plans for rolling out in-person on-site learning the week of January 11.
• I have been working with legal counsel since October 2020, to develop a liability protection framework for school athletic and community based athletic activities on district property.
• In December 2020, I finalized a framework for releasing COVID-19 liabilities for school athletic programs and community youth organizations to access district property for sports activities.
• CHS coaches organized virtual meetings with their athletes during the weeks of December 28 and January 4.
• CHS sports programs will begin workouts and conditioning activities the week of January 11.
• Babe Ruth is scheduled to begin team practices in February.
• On January 19, the Governor is scheduled to release the ODE RSSL guidance, the OHA COVID-19 metric threshold evaluation, educator vaccination time-line, and on-site testing availability for schools.
• After the release from the Governor on January 19, I will meet with the CSD licensed and classified association leaders to review the guidelines and plans to return to in-person on-site hybrid learning.
• By February 5, Blueprint plans for in-person on-site hybrid learning will be completed.
• When health conditions allow and we are in compliance with RSSL guidance, we will begin to rollout hybrid in-person learning with staggered start dates for K & 1, 2 & 3, followed by grades 4 & 5, then 6-12.

As I have said before, this pandemic is a very fluid situation with rapid changes from week to week and often on a daily basis. We will continue to do our best to provide the healthiest and safest approach to providing the highest quality education possible, given the most difficult circumstances we have ever experienced in education.

I will continue to provide you with updates on the most current information as quickly as I possibly can. Please know that I diligently research and process all information with all state and local agencies to provide you with the most accurate and reliable information.

Again, I am humbled to be the Superintendent and leader of this great staff and I thank you for your support as we work together to educate all kids.

Sincerely,

Mike Johnson, Superintendent