Superintendent Report: Eagle Point School
District
April 28, 2021
In-Person Instruction:
We continue to
live in an ever changing pandemic. On April 27, Jackson County was one of
fifteen Oregon counties which moved into the category of “extreme risk”. This
new status is based on rising numbers of COVID cases in Oregon and Jackson
county. The rate of infections is approaching where we were last November. On
the other hand important variables that applied in the Fall have changed as
well. The overall numbers of people vaccinated grows daily, COVID testing has
arrived, hospitalizations are lower and, possibly most importantly, school
districts, including EPSD9, have learned a great deal about how to operate
safely in a COVID world. This new “extreme risk” status will begin on Friday,
April 30th.
This changed
status for the county does not impact Eagle Point schools directly as we now
operate under the RSSL Guidance rather than, as
we did previously, the Jackson County Metrics. It is
our intent to continue to operate our schools with in-person instruction until
the end of this academic year.
However, being in “extreme risk”, will have an impact
on activities that occur outside of the instructional school day. Activities including
prom and sports, and our graduation ceremony will be impacted. EPSD9 staff is
working on reviewing and revising these activities. We intend to have details
of these changes out as soon as possible. Keeping in mind, our planning is
tentative, our current planning for key upcoming events are as follows:
CTE Car Show May
1st
All activities, including the silent auction will be outside, except for supervised tours of 6 people. Show areas will be divided into four well separated areas with a limit of 100 people allowed in each space. Masks will be required and cleaning stations will be available. Contact tracing information will be collected at the entrance.
Top 5% May
4th
This
event will be broken into 2 sessions that will be held in the stadium. Each
student will be given 2 tickets for family to attend and it will be live
streamed on the EPHS youtube channel. All attendees will be required to wear
masks and maintain social distancing at all times.
Prom (Student Leadership) May 8th
This
event will be held at the Talon’s open-sided event area. We will hold two
sessions with each limited to 100 persons. Attendees will need to sign a
waiver. Masks and temperature checks will be required.
FFA Plant Sale May
6-8
The
sale will be in person in the parking lot. Patrons will be required to schedule
a time to shop and for pick-up. FFA students and volunteers will stage the
plants on tables outside the greenhouses.
Scholarship Night May 18
The
location and mode of this event will be determined at a later date as new
guidance and requirements are announced.
Graduation June 12
The graduation ceremony will be moved to June 12th. We had been considering making this change and were in the process of surveying students and getting feedback. Now, we have no choice. We need the flexibility of being able to use all of Saturday to adjust to what may come. If conditions loosen we can consolidate into one ceremony and issue additional audience tickets to graduates. If they tighten we can expand the number of ceremony sessions to meet requirements. Currently we’re planning to use the stadium and have two sessions with every graduate given two tickets. Our goal is to maximize the event for our families while maintaining safety.
OSHA referrals:
Since initiating Hybrid instruction on January 25th, EPSD has
received seven anonymous OSHA
complaints. These complaints were located at EPHS (1) Transportation (1) HES
(3) and TRE (2). Each of these have been
responded to as required and when advisable changes have been made in
practices. As I stated last month, the Board
should be aware that OSHA complaints have become a frequent occurrence
within school districts operating in in-person instructional models. Eagle
Point SD has not received any concerns through the anonymous links provided on
our website.
EPSD9 iPad Contract:
I am recommending
that the board approve this contract. At this time with where we are with
COVID19 and the possibility we may need to return to virtual instruction in the
coming months we need this capability.
Budget Update:
EPSD9 is anticipating the Oregon Legislature will be
late determining a budget. The Governor’s proposed budget for education is
$9.1B. COSA, OSBA and the OEA are lobbying for $9.6B. EPSD9 is considering
budgeting at $9.3B which allows us to roll-up current expenditures without
impacting programs or staffing. If the final budget were to be below $9.3B we
intend to use ESSER funding to make up the difference. The first budget meeting
for EPSD9 will be next week.
Respectfully,
Andy Kovach
Eagle Point School District 9
Superintendent
541-830-6563