PORTLAND, Ore. — On Monday, Portland Public Schools, the largest school district in Oregon, welcomed back students in middle and high school.
Things seemed to go pretty smoothly at Roseway Heights Middle School in Northeast Portland. For many students, it was the first time in more than a year that they had stepped foot in a school building.
Their smiles might have been hidden beneath masks, but you could tell there was a lot of excitement on their first day of hybrid learning.
“Kinda nervous, actually,” said one 7th grade student.
Students started arriving around 1:15 p.m. They lined up on the playground, then filed into the school through different entrances.
As expected, things are a bit different. There are signs telling kids to stay physically distant, reminders to wear masks, and markings in the halls showing students where to walk. At Roseway Heights, signs are up outside bathrooms telling students that only two people are allowed inside at once.
The start of hybrid learning for the district’s older students took a lot of planning.
“The part that was the most different was how we’re going to move between classes with students in a time when they really appreciate having time with their classmates and friends, and chatting in the halls. And now we have be six feet apart and socially distanced. So that's been a huge piece of our planning,” said Brenda Fox, principal at Roseway Heights Middle School.
Still, Fox said school administrators have given a lot of thought to the social needs of middle school students. They’re trying to find ways to give students time to be together.
Students in hybrid are split into two groups. Either they physically go to school on Monday/Tuesday or Thursday/Friday. Each day, they begin their mornings with online learning, then two days a week head to school for two and half hours each afternoon. That's five hours of in-person learning per week.
Fox said on this first day of in-person hybrid learning, the focus was on talking about the changes in place.
“We’re giving some time in classrooms to discuss what it’s like to do business differently. So that’s a lot of what you’ll see in my classrooms today,” said Fox.
With many kids back in the classroom, district leaders are already looking toward summer programming.
“We're gonna keep extending the learning time. So, we have big plans for this summer. So for students at every grade level we're making a pretty comprehensive summer catalog available we'll be sharing details with families. That includes 21 neighborhood hub sites, so clusters of neighborhood schools will be hosted and have programming available,” said Portland Public Schools Superintendent Guadalupe Guerrero.
He said there will also be additional learning time for the district's youngest kids in Pre-K, kindergarten, and first grade as well as opportunities for older students to recover credit.
Guerrero said the district has placed special effort into working with culturally specific community partners to make sure kids from all backgrounds know about and can access the opportunities this summer.
Karen Werstein, a district spokesperson, said 71.4% of middle school families chose hybrid while 59.7% of high school families made the same decision.
For now, those families who opted into hybrid learning can still change their mind and go back to distance learning if they find hybrid doesn’t work for them. However, once a decision has been made to return to distance learning, students will have to stick with that choice until the end of the year. The last day of school for Portland Public is June 11.
If a student or staff member becomes symptomatic while at school, Werstein said there is on-site COVID-19 testing available.
Principal Fox said the test is quick and produces results then and there. But schools can only administer the test if they’ve been given permission from the child’s family.
For now, she’s just glad to have her students back in classrooms.
“We’re really happy to have kids back in the building. It’s great to see them and be with them and we look forward to next year when we can all be here together,” said Fox.
“We’re one step closer to the fuller reopening that we expect this coming fall,” Guerrero said.
Guerrero also said the district has launched a new website called, ppsfamilysupports.com. He said it provides each school community a listing of all the resources and supports available to families.