March 9, 2020 4:15 a.m.
Public health experts at the Oregon Health Authority and education officials with the Oregon Department of Education and the Higher Education Coordinating Commission have issued guidance and best practices for schools, colleges and universities for decision-making concerning the novel coronavirus in Oregon.
At this time the guidance recommends against closing schools and campuses where no cases of COVID-19 are present. It also recommends that schools, colleges, and universities consider all alternatives before closing their facilities in the event that a case of COVID-19 is detected among students or staff. The guidance identifies important strategies educational administrators can use to reduce the risk of COVID-19 within a school community and protect students from lost instructional time.
The guidance recognized that for many students, schools are their only ready access to health care and food. More than 22,000 students in Oregon experienced some form of homelessness in 2019.
Among the measures that educational institutions should consider are increasing the frequency of hand washing for children, youth and adults. Also cleaning high-touch, high-traffic areas within schools frequently and screening for illness among students, staff and visitors. More aggressive measures could include staggering recess and lunch periods to reduce the number of students coming into close contact with each other. Adult-serving institutions with options to shift to remote instruction without severe community disruption, may weigh the recommendations differently.
The OHA release included broad agreement to the guidance from a variety of educational organizations including Oregon State University, the University of Oregon, the Oregon Education Association, and the Oregon School Boards Association.