Hi Oakridge School District families,
Here is news we have been waiting to share: an update on the COVID health and safety protocols school districts in Oregon are expected to follow after the mask mandate ends on March 12th. These new guidelines were just released by the Oregon Department of Education March 2:
· Contact tracing will no longer be required because Omicron spreads so quickly, by the time a COVID exposure is identified and contact tracing is performed, transmission has already occurred.
· Students and staff will not be required to quarantine when they are exposed to a positive case of COVID-19, if they are asymptomatic.
· We will still notify families if a COVID exposure occurs in their child’s classroom or cohort. This will allow families to take additional precautions according to their particular health needs.
· We will continue to offer COVID testing when students and staff are exposed to a positive case of COVID at school.
· Students and staff may continue to attend school regardless of their participation in diagnostic testing.
· Masks will no longer be required on school buses on March 12.
Thank you for your continued grace and patience as we transition to this new phase of the pandemic.
Please join us on March 9, 2022 at 6:30 PM via Zoom for an informational meeting to share information and answer questions. Please see the invite to the meeting on our website. You will find the Zoom link there as well as a link to submit your questions prior to the meeting.
Reta Doland Oakridge School District