School Closure Order Extended for Rest of the 19-20 School Year

Dear Scio School District Families/Students/Community Members

With the health and safety of our students, staff, and communities as her primary focus, today Governor Brown and the Oregon Department of Education announced that our schools will be closed for the rest of the school year.  We know this announcement is likely to be a great disappointment for our students and means more disruptions and continued challenges for families.  We know that closing schools was a difficult decision, but this action is intended to keep us all as safe and healthy as we can be.

For our seniors – the Class of 2020 – we know that is particularly heartbreaking for you.  It is a painful reminder that sometimes the world can throw challenges and disappointments at you at the worst possible time.  We are committed to finding creative ways to honor you and restore as much normalcy as we can.  At this time, we have not received direction from the state about graduation ceremonies or the opportunity for students to reschedule events like proms, but we will keep you updated as information becomes available.

Today’s announcement also included important information for our high school seniors. The state’s Graduation Pathways 2020 maintains the 24 credit requirement while providing a clear path to graduation for seniors who were on-track to graduate prior to the statewide school closure. This guidance allows seniors to receive credit for any course in which they were passing at the time the school closure started.  As a result, schools can provide additional focus on securing credit-earning opportunities and learning for seniors who were not yet passing all required courses at the time of the school closure.  And for the final spring term(s), seniors shall be awarded credit based on a Pass/Incomplete determination.

As we evaluate this guidance, we will communicate additional details directly from your school, and students who have finalized course completion for their diploma will receive individual guidance on post-graduation plans. In addition, seniors short on credit or who aren’t passing their semester courses will be contacted for individual distance learning plans. You will be contacted by Mrs. Blackwell on or before Wednesday 4/15/20 explaining the details of your individual situation. Most importantly, we will do everything we can to ensure that no senior misses out on the opportunity to graduate.

We will continue to honor distance learning for all of our students in grades K-11.  We will continue to provide school meals as we currently are via delivery. We believe ALL families have now been contacted.  If you have not been contacted please reach out to us.  Or if your needs change please don’t hesitate to contact us.

To recap the efforts being done by the District to date…

• The kitchen staff, bus drivers and aides are delivering around 480 breakfast and lunches to families at their door.
• The technology staff, bus drivers and aides have loaned out and delivered around 400 Chromebooks to students for them to access their distance learning. 
• Scio Mutual Telephone Association is installing internet for free to families in need and hot spots have been obtained for those students not in the area.
• Staff have been set up with voice over internet phone numbers to ensure they can contact their students at home to check in with them as needed.
• Distance learning began on April 1st for all students and continues this week.

We know this is unlike anything we as educators, parents or students have ever seen before. Since this emergency closure began, our priority has been and will continue to be our students.  And our educators and administrators are committed to being problem-solvers and partners for our high school seniors so their paths to graduation are not interrupted by this pandemic.

As the sun starts to shine more in the coming weeks we know students will want to head outside and play.  Please remember that our buildings, fields and playgrounds are still closed until further notice, but we are still here to support you.