Dexter/Pleasant Hill, Front Page, Lowell/Jasper/Fall Creek, Oakridge/Westfir

Highway 58 districts grapple with mask, vaccine issues as schools prepare for fall reopening

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Showing off some of the signs they made thanking firefighters for their recent heroics, Oakridge children in the KITS (‘Kids in Transition to School’) program are being prepared for entering classrooms on Sept. 7. Oakridge School District photo

By DEAN REA/Correspondent/The Herald—A resolution opposing the governor’s mandate requiring all K-12 school employees and volunteers to get vaccinated against the COVID-19 virus was proposed Monday night by members of the Lowell School Board.

Meanwhile, during another school board meeting in Pleasant Hill, Supt. Scott Linenberger told board members that “despite a lot of local angst” about the issue, “those are the laws and we have to follow them.”

Earlier, Oakridge Supt. Rita Donald urged district residents “to be as helpful as possible to our local schools” despite state mandates. “I want to make it clear, even if we personally disagree with state orders from the governor, our school district does not have the option to violate state orders.”

The Lowell proposal was introduced by Jason Prenevost and was quickly supported by Suzanne Kintzley and Dionne Plahn, who agreed to present a formal declaration for consideration at the next meeting. They suggested that school districts should have more discretion in dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic.

Gov. Kate Brown announced Thursday that health care workers and K-12 school employees and volunteers be fully vaccinated in view of schools opening during the next few weeks because of the resurgence of the virus fueled by the highly contagious delta variant.

“People will resign because of the mandate,” Superintendent Johnie Matthews said during an interview after the Lowell meeting. He acknowledged, however, that his hands are tied because “professionally I have to deal with the executive report.” He questioned whether the desired outcome of the executive decree will be met.

Lowell elementary and high school administrators told board members about the difficulty they have encountered in recruiting and hiring staff members. Despite this challenge that cut short their normal summer “time off,” a full staff is expected to greet an increased enrollment, reported Elementary Principal Jessica Edgerton and High School Principal Scott Yakovich.

How Pleasant Hill has dealt with the COVID-19 pandemic was reviewed by Linenberger after a two-hour training session for new board members.

“We have lived through this COVID experience for roughly 15 to 18 months,” he said and noted that some local control was granted over the masking issue. The latest transition came at the end of June when the governor rescinded her order.

During her remarks last week, the governor emphasized that masks also will remain part of the state’s strategy to combat the spread of the coronavirus at a time when infections are surging, especially in schools.

“Because children under 12 are still not vaccinated, masks are a critical tool for preventing our children from getting sick at school,” Brown said.

Brown sidestepped giving a direct answer when asked if she might mandate vaccines for school children older than 12 after the COVID-19 vaccines receive full approval from the Food and Drug Administration. “All options remain on the table,” she said.

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