Dear CSD Staff and Families,

As mentioned in my previous letter to you, I am providing you with an update in preparation for the return to school for the 2021-22 school year. On July 22, 2021, the Oregon Department of Education released the updated Ready Schools Safe Learners Resiliency Framework guidance (Link). With the new RSSLRF guidance, ODE shifted to a local decision-making model for health and safety protocols. Please know that we will continue to work with our local decision making partner Lane County Public Health on COVID-19 contact tracing and their authority with quarantining procedures OAR 333-019-0010 (Link) and their safety recommendations throughout the school year as community conditions may change with the spread of the virus.  

What changed with the RSSLRF guidance?

School districts and local health authorities have been given more flexibility and local control in creating their operational safety plans. 

What will the changes mean for returning to school in the fall of 2021?

The RSSLRF guidance strongly recommends mask wearing while inside schools, but does not require it. At CSD, we will maintain alignment with the guidance from ODE and will strongly recommend that staff and students wear masks while in school buildings, but we will not require it. Additionally, we will not require proof of vaccination. 

What about the other safety protocols?

The other safety precautions such as air filtering, hand washing, sanitation and hygiene measures, social distancing, etc., will remain in place. Additionally, the CDC requires that masks be worn while on public transportation, which includes school buses (Link to CDC Information).

As always, we thank you for your patience and support. I will provide you with additional updates as they come to me, and details on our return to school operational Blueprints in the coming weeks.

Sincerely,

Mike Johnson, Superintendent