11/25/20 6:45 a.m. 

SOUTH UMPQUA – All schools in the South Umpqua School District will be shifting to Comprehensive Distance Learning on Monday, November 30th.

Superintendent Kate McLaughlin says that the distance learning model will continue to be used through December 18th. McLaughlin says after consulting with the Douglas Public Health Network, it is clear that South Umpqua no longer meets the metrics to continue offering in-person instruction at this time.

She says Douglas County is currently at 296 positive COVID-19 cases per 100,000 people, according to metrics released on Monday. That is well over the “red-zone” threshold.

McLaughlin says local health authorities also shared that there is now spread of the virus in south county due to several local outbreaks. She says that spread is expected to continue to impact schools for the next several weeks.

The timeline for the district is as follows:

*Monday, November 30th, and Tuesday, December 1st, there will be no school for students. Computer and materials pickup will take place at this time.

*Wednesday, December 2nd, all students will begin to attend Comprehensive Distance Learning.

*Winter Break will take place December 21st through Jan 1st.

*Monday January 4th, in-person instruction is planned to resume if metrics allow.

McLaughlin says she is immensely proud of the work their staff has done this year to provide the option of in-person instruction for K-12 students for over 10 weeks. She says that is an accomplishment that few, if any, districts of any size in the state can match.

The release says that students and affected families will receive more specific information, including schedules and material pickup times, from their individual schools. Schools will also be reaching out to students who do not have internet access to make arrangements to access online learning during this time.