October 19, 2021 4:00 a.m.

Nearly 100 percent of Roseburg Public Schools staff members have completed the COVID-19 vaccination/exception process in accordance with the state’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate, helping to ensure ongoing educational services to students.

Superintendent Jared Cordon said out of 723 employees, 99.8 percent completed the state’s requirement by submitting proof of vaccination status, or by submitting a religious or medical exception to the district by Monday’s deadline.

Cordon said, “We worked closely with our staff members to guide them through this process with the goal of maintaining as many employees as possible”. Cordon said all staff members are valuable to the organization and he is grateful for their ongoing professionalism and support.

An RPS release said since the start of the school year, additional safety protocols have been in place for unvaccinated staff members who work with students. These protocols include more stringent face covering and physical distancing requirements. The district also continues to follow all state and federal safety requirements.

The release said district operations staff and school nurses continue to work closely with the Douglas Public Health Network to track positive COVID-19 cases among students and staff. DPHN continues to report that RPS is successfully limiting the spread of COVID-19 in schools.

Cordon said, “Our protocols, in conjunction with state and federal safety requirements, have been effective in allowing us to provide full-time, in-person learning this school year”. Cordon said students are successfully re-engaging with their peers and teachers and are catching up on unfinished learning. Cordon said he is looking forward to watching students continue to learn and grow this school year.