Salem Keizer Public Schools [SKPS] announced Wednesday evening that distance learning will continue through February, at least. This comes as COVID cases and deaths remain high in Marion and Polk Counties, across the state and across the nation.
A new target date for the beginning of blended learning has not yet been announced.
The district had been targeting early February to transition students to a blended model of learning. In a blended model, students would attend school in-person some days during the week and online others. However, COVID-19 levels are not currently at the place they need to be for the transition.
“Our students are counting on our community to slow the spread in order to get back to in-person learning, and we are eager to see our kids back in school,” SKPS Superintendent Christy Perry said in an email Wednesday evening.
Despite this decision, some athletics will resume in January. The specifics on which sports will begin and which will not is not yet clear.
“Coaches will be reaching out to families whose students participate in athletics with additional information on what sports qualify,” Perry said in the email.
The district encouraged people to stay safe over the holidays and do their part to slow the spread of the virus. Staying safe entails wearing a mask, following social distancing guidelines and following state restrictions on gathering sizes.
These decisions follow a sobering time in COVID-19 numbers. The national COVID-19 death toll reached a devastating 300,000 earlier this week. In Oregon, 1,562 new cases were reported today, along with 48 deaths. Well over 1,200 have died in Oregon from the virus so far.
We will continue to provide updates as more information becomes available.
