PORTLAND, Ore. — Portland Public Schools (PPS) held a news conference Friday afternoon to discuss its COVID-19 response and how the current surge in the omicron variant is impacting students and staff.
PPS Superintendent Guadalupe Guerrero and other district leaders spoke during the press conference.
The news conference comes after two Portland high schools reverted back to distance learning for one week due to a significant rise in COVID-related absences for students and staff. District leaders said it was a staffing issue. There just aren’t enough substitute teachers who can step in to fill the need.
"Even as we looked at the numbers [Thursday], we made the call on two high schools but there were several others that also were concerning, but where we felt we could cover those absences. So, unfortunately it looks like we may have other schools where we'll need to go through our decision-making process and work with our school leaders there to decide if that’s the right call,” said Guerrero.
Cleveland and McDaniel high schools were closed on Jan. 7 and will temporarily go remote from Jan. 10 through Jan. 14. During this time, extracurricular activities, including sports, will be postponed.
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A Cleveland High School junior named Natasha said many students have felt uneasy going to school and being around so many other people.
"It was like we were all walking on eggshells and it would fall apart like at any moment, and it did."
She said she's frustrated to have to go back to remote learning, but she also understands why.
"We should be going back online and it's best to keep us safe, but I am weary and it feels like very recent history is repeating itself," she said.
She hopes that after students return back to class, academic expectations will reflect the experiences of students and teachers and focus more on remedial and supplemental learning.
"We're kind of rushing to get back to normal without realizing that normal is a very long ways away... It feels disingenuous to pretend like I'm getting the same level and quality of education online and my learning isn't being majorly interrupted."
Meantime, she's also worried about her peers at other schools. Natasha sent KGW photos from her friends showing students shoulder-to-shoulder as they walked to class or eating in groups while crammed in a hallway. In one of the photos, some students could be seen wearing masks while others weren't.
Natasha said she wishes there were more opportunities for students to make their voices heard to local and state lawmakers.
PPS said it had a total of 431 school staff who have called out, as of Thursday night. Of that number, 175 positions cannot be filled by substitutes.
In accordance with new guidance released from state officials this week, PPS announced on Tuesday that it would reinstate COVID safety protocols from last spring for extracurricular activities, including sports and performing arts. The protocols will be in effect at least until Feb. 4, but PPS said it will be flexible to making changes to its policies based on new data and guidelines from health officials.