Following a presentation by the OHSU-PSU School of Public Health, Governor Brown has decided to loosen COVID-19 restrictions on school reopenings, allowing school districts to make the decision on their own. 

As of Dec. 4, 2020, Oregon’s metrics stated that to get students back to in-person learning, the county case rates would need to be less than 50 per 100,000 people.

Now, Brown is hoping that districts will implement in-person learning for at least elementary students by Feb. 15. That being said, she has stated that districts should still take caution and take health safety measures into account.

“As our neighbors to the north have demonstrated, this does not mean schools can resume in-person instruction without regard for COVID-19 spread in the community, but instead should carefully consider the metrics in their local context, the needs of students and families, and readiness to implement health and safety protocols. As we move into a new year, we must all rise to the challenges that COVID-19 presents and prioritizing our children is most urgent,” Brown said. 

These metric changes came after a panel with Colt Gill, the director of the Oregon Department of Education.

“[The research] basically says that schools are not super-spreader locations, that they are very safe, structured locations and maybe safer for our students and staff members to be there for six, eight hours a day than other places in the community,” Gill stated.

That being said, it is not lost on officials that vaccines are needed to ensure the safety of all students and teachers. Teachers are in line to receive vaccinations after healthcare workers and people in long-term care facilities. 

Although teachers will be receiving their vaccinations before the general public, the vaccination process is taking much longer than expected, meaning that teachers will likely not be vaccinated before Brown’s suggested date to get students back into schools.