Message from Salem-Keizer Public Schools – March 20, 2020
This is a bilingual message from Superintendent Christy Perry and Elementary Level Director Olga Cobb for our community.
Message from Salem-Keizer Public Schools – March 20, 2020
This is a bilingual message from Superintendent Christy Perry and Elementary Level Director Olga Cobb for our community.
Message from Salem-Keizer Public Schools – March 20, 2020
In keeping with the latest direction from Governor Brown, the Oregon Health Authority, and the Oregon Department of Education (ODE), Salem-Keizer Public Schools (SKPS) will extend the emergency closure through April 28. That closure could be shortened or extended at the direction of Governor Brown. Students are currently scheduled to return April 29.
“We are in uncharted territory,” said Superintendent Christy Perry. “At no time have our schools, our districts or our public education system been faced with so many uncertainties. We’re grateful for the continued guidance from the state so that we can help be sense makers for our community. We do not have answers to all of the questions at this time, but we will work as quickly as possible to chart an equitable and healthy path forward for our students, staff and their families.”
All regular staff will continue to be paid throughout the emergency closure that began on March 16. This includes, but is not limited to, teachers, instructional assistants, bus drivers, custodians and maintenance staff.
Meals will continue to be offered at 35 locations throughout Salem and Keizer from 11 a.m. until 1 p.m. Those locations are available here. In addition, the district is partnering with the United Way, Marion-Polk Food Share, Mano a Mano and local houses of worship to expand wraparound supports at sites as well as ways that the meal service can adapt to better meet the community’s needs.
District leaders are prioritizing creating a pathway to graduation for high school students. With additional guidance from ODE forthcoming, information for impacted students and their families will be provided the week of March 30. In the meantime, supplemental resources for learning will be distributed to families beginning the week of March 23. Resources for home learning are not intended to replace classroom instruction or district-adopted curriculum. No content will be graded.
SKPS leadership has begun reaching out to first responders and healthcare workers to assess their needs and develop an emergency plan for their childcare.
The Salem-Keizer Board of Directors voted 5-2 last night to approve the boundary adjustment proposal brought forward by the Boundary Review Task Force. Directors Blasi and Lippold opposed. The boundary adjustments will go into effect for the 2019-20 school year and only apply to incoming kindergarten through third-graders, sixth-graders and ninth-graders. Students entering grades four, five, seven, eight, 10, 11 and 12 will not be impacted by the boundary adjustments. Transportation will be provided both for students in the new boundaries and those who are not impacted by the boundary adjustments and will be continuing in their existing schools. Students enrolled in special programs will continue in those special programs.
Families impacted by the boundary adjustments will receive personalized letters in their preferred language in the coming days detailing the transition. Maps are available at schools to review the 36 areas of Salem and Keizer impacted by the adjustments.
The Boundary Review Task Force is a 45-member volunteer committee comprised of representatives from the special education community, PCUN, Mano a Mano, Salem/Keizer Coalition for Equality, Salem-Keizer NAACP and all geographic regions.
Thanks to the community’s passage of a bond in May, SKPS will invest $619.7 million in Salem and Keizer in the form of school expansions, renovations and improvements over the next five to six years. Boundary adjustments will shift students away from crowded conditions and into these new, improved learning environments.
To view the boundary adjustments website, click here.
Marion County Health & Human Services has asked us to share this information with you regarding a measles outbreak in Clark County, Washington.
“Due to the current measles outbreak investigation in Clark County, Washington, we’ve received numerous questions about the local county public health response in schools. Below (linked PDF), you’ll find a list of standard procedures related to communicable disease in educational and childcare settings. We’d like to remind everyone that there are currently no confirmed cases of measles in Marion County.”
Please see this information in PDF format for more details, visit the Marion County Health & Human Services website or call them at 503-588-5621.
Acerca del sarampión:
Links to surveys on Task Force Proposal #4 can be found on the boundary adjustments page.
Parents, students, school neighbors and community members are invited to attend a Boundary Review Task Force Listening Session on Dec. 4 to share feedback on possible school attendance area boundary adjustments.
Boundary adjustments are needed to relieve overcrowding and put to use the new spaces being built in the 2018 bond program. During the boundary review process, all school attendance area boundaries in the Salem-Keizer School District are being reviewed, however not all boundaries will need to be adjusted.
A Boundary Review Task Force made up of community volunteers has been reviewing boundaries and proposing adjustments since early October. The goal of the Task Force is to create a recommendation for the Superintendent for adjusted boundaries that balances school enrollments across the district, prepares schools for future growth, and identifies implications for the 2018 bond program.
Public input is important to helping the Task Force create a proposal for adjusted boundaries. The community is invited to attend a Boundary Review Task Force Listening Session on Tuesday, Dec. 4, 2018, from 6-8 p.m. at one of four locations:
4912 Noren Ave. NE, Keizer
Areas of focus will be Keizer/McNary and West Salem schools, most notably: Claggett Creek and Whiteaker middle schools; Clear Lake, Cummings, Forest Ridge, Gubser, Kalapuya, Keizer, Kennedy, Myers and Weddle elementary schools.
500 Elma Ave. SE, Salem
Areas of focus will be North Salem/McKay area schools, most notably: Houck Middle School; Auburn, Chávez, Eyre, Four Corners, Hammond, Hayesville, Lamb, Miller, Swegle and Yoshikai elementary schools.
2805 Lansing Ave. NE, Salem
Areas of focus will be McKay/North Salem area schools, most notably: North Salem High School; Parrish Middle School; Hallman, Hoover and Washington elementary schools.
4512 Jones Road SE, Salem
Areas of focus will be South/Sprague area schools, most notably: South Salem and Sprague high schools; Bush, Battle Creek, Candalaria, Lee, Liberty, McKinley, Morningside, Salem Heights and Schirle elementary schools.
Parents and community members from all school neighborhoods are welcome to attend; attendance is not limited to residents of the school neighborhoods listed.
The presentations at Four Corners and Waldo will be co-presented in English and Spanish. Additionally, Spanish interpreters will be available at all locations. Childcare and snacks will be provided.
Please contact SKPS at (503) 399-3290 for other accommodations, such as ASL interpretation, at least 24 hours in advance of the meeting.
Familias del distrito escolar de Salem-Keizer, el próximo 4 de diciembre se llevarán a cabo sesiónes informativas para la comunidad acerca de los ajustes de límites a las escuelas del distrito. Sus hijos podrían ser asignados a diferentes escuelas el próximo año, dependiendo de donde usted vive. Su asistencia es importante, tendrá la oportunidad de expresar su opinión sobre los ajustes de límites escolares con los miembros del grupo de trabajo. Se proporcionarán bocadillos y cuidado de niños. Tendremos interpretes disponibles en español.
4912 Noren Ave. NE, Keizer
Las áreas de enfoque serán en las escuelas de Keizer y West Salem, en particular: las escuelas intermedias Claggett Creek y Whiteaker; escuelas primarias de Clear Lake, Cummings, Forest Ridge, Gubser, Keizer, Kennedy y Weddle.
500 Elma Ave. SE, Salem
Las áreas de enfoque serán las escuelas del área de North Salem/McKay, en particular: Esquela Intermedia Houck; escuelas primarias de Auburn, Chávez, Eyre, Four Corners, Hammond, Hayesville, Lamb, Miller, Swegle y Yoshikai.
2805 Lansing Ave. NE, Salem
Las áreas de enfoque serán las escuelas del área McKay/North Salem, en particular: Esquela Preparatoria North Salem; Escuela Intermedia Parrish; escuelas primarias Hallman, Hoover y Washington.
4512 Jones Road SE, Salem
Las áreas de enfoque serán las escuelas del área South/Sprague, en particular: las escuelas preparatorias South Salem y Sprague; escuelas primarias de Bush, Candalaria, Lee, Liberty, McKinley, Morningside, Salem Heights y Schirle.
Expresar su opinión sobre los ajustes de límites escolares con los miembros del grupo de trabajo.
https://salkeiz.k12.or.us/boundary-adjustments/
Missing a day or two of school may not seem like a big deal, but that time matters. If a student misses just two days of school a month, by the end of the year, that adds up to an entire month of lost instruction.
At Salem-Keizer Public Schools, we want all of our students to graduate prepared for successful lives. Students who regularly attend school are more likely to graduate, setting the stage for success in college and higher rates of employability.
Be there all day, every day in District 24J.
El perder un día o dos de clases podría parecer irrelevante, pero ese tiempo es muy importante. Si un estudiante pierde solo dos días de clases al mes, al final del año escolar, esto representa un mes entero de clases perdidas.
En las Escuelas Públicas de Salem-Keizer, queremos que todos los estudiantes se gradúen preparados para una vida exitosa. Los estudiantes que asisten regularmente a la escuela, tienen 172 porciento mayor probabilidad de graduarse, estableciendo así las bases para el éxito en la universidad y mayores índices de empleabilidad.
Asistir a la escuela diariamente, todos los días en el Distrito 24J.