Masking decisions in schools will be turned over to “local control”

A potential date has been set for the end of the statewide indoor mask mandate, as well as potentially for K-12 schools.

Starting March 31st, after Spring Break, assuming hospitalizations are where the Oregon Health Authority (OHA) modeling has predicted, each school district in cooperation with local public health authorities will be given the responsibility to determine masking requirements for its students, staff, and school volunteers.  All current District COVID protocols are still in place and will continue through March.  

Next Steps:

• The decisions on our path forward will take some time.  Please understand we just received this news today, and there is a lot to digest.
• Over the next several weeks, I will be working with our staff, families, and school board to determine the best course of action.
• Please continue to reinforce health and safety protocols.  The Omicron variant of COVID has not yet reached its peak in Lane County and we hope to be able to continue to keep our schools open, and as many students attending as possible.

Good news:  It is good news that the OHA believes the spread of the Omicron variant of COVID, and the number of hospitalizations, will drop significantly by the end of March.  It is good news that control is being given to local districts, as each school district, city/county is different.

Plans continue to change, sometimes with little notice.  The last two years have confirmed that uncertainty is the one thing we can count on.  Your continued patience and flexibility is essential in helping to keep our kids in school.  I will provide updates for you as soon as there is news to share.  Feel free to reach out to me with questions but be aware that I may have more questions than answers at this moment.

Gary E. Carpenter, Jr.

Superintendent, FRSD.