Jason Moore

JAN 06, 2022

Dear North Bend Community,

I want to wish all of you a Happy New Year, with the hope of a truly happy 2022 for all of us.

As we return to school, after dealing with a bit of coastal weather, I want to continue to reiterate our commitment to keeping our schools open and your children in classes.

While we may be done with COVID-19, COVID and its related variants don’t seem to be done with us. That being said, I am writing to you to remind and provide you with some areas we are preparing for.

Reminders:
The Oregon Department of Education and the Oregon Health Authority have been using the term “layered” approach and we are committed to follow these guidelines when possible.

• Maintain physical distance (minimum of 3 feet) and 6 feet when possible.

• Wear face coverings indoors - these should cover the nose and mouth and be properly fitted.

• Regular and frequent handwashing and/or sanitizing of hands.

• *Classrooms* Utilize ALEN Air Purifiers. 

• Sanitize frequently touched surfaces regularly. This isn’t the #1 cause of COVID spread, but it will reduce the spread of other illnesses.

• Stay home if you are not feeling well. In previous years students and staff came to work noticeably sick as a sign of their commitment to their job education, etc. While that is understandable, in these times of COVID we ask that everyone who is exhibiting COVID symptoms stay home. Testing is encouraged, but in the end we’d like everyone to stay home until they are symptom free. We expect our local health authority to adopt the newly released 5-day isolation protocol for COVID positive, asymptomatic individuals. Again, if you or your child aren’t feeling well…stay home :)

With the COVID-19 omicron variant surging across Oregon, we are preparing for the likelihood of additional cases and impacts to our staff and students. We are unsure of how or when this will impact us, but are preparing and having discussions regarding the following items:

• Comprehensive Distance Learning (CDL) *Emergency Circumstance ONLY*
  As I stated earlier, I want kids in schools and classrooms, but in the event of staffing shortages or wide-spread student COVID spread, I have asked our teachers and administrators to develop and review plans to be able to conduct school virtually for as little as a few days to as long as a few weeks. In all likelihood I would provide a day or two for teachers to physically prepare for this transition before starting CDL. In addition, I am asking school administrators to immediately develop a plan for Chromebook distribution so that all students have access to computers when and if needed.

• Extracurricular Activities. ODE recently released a recommendation to pause extracurricular activities or reduce the attendance of spectators at indoor events. At this time we are NOT pausing any extracurricular activities in North Bend. In addition, we will continue to allow for spectators to attend our basketball, wrestling, and swimming events. Again, I am requesting that all spectators follow the layered approach so that we do not need to pause our sports or close them to guests. This includes face coverings, physical distancing, and washing/sanitizing your hands.

• Bussing. This fall we’ve already experienced disruptions to bussing due to staff shortages and driver illness. I am expecting that to continue in the coming weeks and I ask for your patience and understanding. Our transportation partner, Mid-Columbia is doing everything possible to get your children to school safely, even if that means some disruptions to the normal bus schedule. Mid-Co is committed to getting information out to impacted families as soon as they are able as they deal with the day-to-day challenges of getting all of our students to and from school.

Thank you for everything you are doing to support your children and support the North Bend School District. I am so proud of this hard working group of dedicated professionals and you should know they are doing everything they can to teach and support your children. While there are bound to be bumps in the road these next few weeks I hope everyone can provide one another with some grace and compassion and know that we will listen and do what we can to support your needs.

Stay safe!

Kevin Bogatin, Superintendent