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Governor Kate Brown
Press conference remarks 7/28/20
Good morning. And thank you for joining us.
I am here today to talk about school plans for the fall. I’m
joined by Dr. Dean Sidelinger, our state epidemiologist; Colt
Gill, Director of the Oregon Department of Education; and
Miriam Calderon, Early Learning System Director for the
State of Oregon.
I have to tell you, closing schools in the spring was one of the
most difficult decisions I have made in the pandemic. It was
in the early days of the pandemic, which feels like a lifetime
ago.
As COVID-19 continues to impact both urban and rural
small town Oregon, it has been clear that school this year
will not look like any other year.
Over the past few months I’ve often said that my decisions
are based on the advice of medical experts and using science
and data as my guide. And frankly, sometimes the data can
point in several directions at once.
Schools are a good example. As the American Academy of
Pediatrics has stated, there is clear evidence that children
receiving instruction and support in-school is far better for
them academically.
It fosters our students’ social and emotional well-being, their
overall health, and often their physical safety.
I know parents agree.
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Parents also know that this is a highly contagious virus. And
when there are lots of COVID-19 cases spreading in the
community, then the likelihood that the virus will spread at
schools also increases.
That’s why the American Academy of Pediatrics is also clear
that only with low rates of disease and with adequate
safeguards in place should schools return to in-person
instruction.
Both of these things are true:
Good schools improve health.
And we need to be cautious so schools don’t become places
where the virus spreads.
In early June, the Oregon Department of Education and
Oregon Health Authority provided schools and communities
with comprehensive guidance to help planning for the fall.
This guidance has provided every local school with a
blueprint to implement clear health and safety protocols. It
also provides the flexibility for schools to choose in-person
instruction, comprehensive distance learning, or a hybrid
approach.
The plan each public school district adopts for the coming
school year is -- and remains -- a local decision.
And yet, in the time since then, the virus has continued to
spread and we must follow clear public health metrics to
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know when -- and where -- it is safe for school to reconvene
inside school buildings.
That is what we are announcing today: Dr. Sidelinger will
detail the circumstances under which school districts will be
allowed to choose in person or hybrid learning for their local
communities.
He will also outline the markers for spread of the disease
that will require schools to change gears and shift to
comprehensive distance learning.
These requirements will give our public schools, private
schools, and communities the opportunity to make sound
decisions based on the latest science and health data.
These requirements also provide reasonable allowances for
our smallest, rural schools, as well as allowances for in- person instruction for specific populations of students, such
as younger grades.
Studies show that younger students, particularly those in
Kindergarten through third grade -- kids under ten years
old -- have lower rates of illness and transmission than older
children or adults.
Providing nurturing, in-person relationships and learning to
our youngest children is critical to developing the reading
and language skills and social development necessary for
their long-term success.
Overall, these requirements align the recommendations
from both public health experts and educators.
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A few notes about how we landed on these metrics
First, as always, health and safety serve as our North Star.
We are taking a cautious and careful approach that protects
public health, just as we have over the past five months in
tackling this disease.
Second, equity has to be at the forefront of our decision
making.
We know that our youngest children, our students of color,
low-income students, and students experiencing disability
have faced the greatest challenges accessing a high-quality
education, and in their learning and development.
Many of our families have already faced disproportionate
impacts since schools closed to in-person instruction and
moved to distance learning.
Let me be clear, I am absolutely unwilling to lose an entire
school year for kids. A year that could be foundational to the
lifelong opportunities for thousands of Oregon students.
I will push. I will cajole. I will demand nothing but
excellence from our districts and our educators.
But, it is also incumbent on all of us, every community, to
take every measure to slow the spread of this disease so that
we can get our kids back in schools as soon as possible.
We cannot let our kids down. These are truly all of our
children.
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I have confidence in our teachers, in our school staff and
administrators, and in our district leaders.
To help our school children achieve their dreams, and to
ensure that kids can access comprehensive distance learning,
I am releasing an additional $28 million to be distributed to
all public schools under my Emergency Education Relief
Fund. This money may be used for mobile hot-spots,
computers and technology, online curriculum and teacher
training.
We can do this. We can rise to the challenge.
Thank you.