Change from six feet physical distancing rule to only 3 feet in schools

By Paul Hall on Tuesday, March 23rd, 2021 in More Top Stories Northeastern Oregon News

LA GRANDE – (A letter from Superintendent of La Grande School District, George Mendoza) On many occasions, I have stated that our school district is in support of having as many students back into our schools on a regular and consistent basis, as long as it is safe to do so. Late last week, the Center for Disease Control announced the recommendation for physical distancing in schools has been decreased from six feet to three feet. Following the CDC’s announcement, Governor Brown made the following statement at her 11 a.m. press conference,

“The CDC issued updated guidance for physical distancing in schools. Throughout the pandemic, it has been our intent to align with CDC recommendations, while taking COVID-19 conditions in our state into account. The Oregon Department of Education and OHA are reviewing the new guidance, including the recommendation that three feet of spacing is sufficient when community transmission of COVID-19 is low. This is welcome news for many school districts. After ODE and OHA update their guidance, school districts will still need to have conversations at the local level to update their plans for a return to in-person instruction, and go through their own decision-making process. I hope this helps get even more kids back in school.”