Page 1 of 5

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.

Page 2 of 5

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

Page 3 of 5

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.

Page 4 of 5

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.

Page 5 of 5

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.