January 26, 2021 UPDATE

Dear Students, Staff, and Community:

Last night the Rogue River School Board unanimously voted to approve reopening plans for K-12 students that will begin to phase in on February 16, 2021.  The District is excited to have more students return to our hallways.

The majority of details on what these plans will look like will be conveyed by building principals.  You should receive those communications from the principals before the end of this week. 

The next two weeks will be a flurry of detail work at all levels as we prepare for more students and shift our educational model.  Here is some important information you should know as you prepare for this shift:

• Students will only be on campus for half of the day. We must still follow the Ready Schools Safe Learners Guidance (RSSL) released by the Oregon Department of Education (ODE) and The Oregon Health Authority (OHA).  There is no way to follow this guidance and have all of our students on campus all day, every day.  Your school will let you know when your student will be on campus.
• Students must wear a mask while in the schools unless they have a medical exemption signed by a doctor. Please check with your school about getting a medical exemption from your doctor if it is needed. 
• Students need to socially distance to the greatest extent possible. Staff will assist students with this and offer reminders and training at all grade levels. 
• Students establishing a pattern of being unwilling to socially distance or properly wear masks will be returned to Distance Learning. We will educate all children, but we must keep our schools as safe as possible and follow the RSSL guidance.  Students unwilling to follow masking and social distancing rules will be educated via Comprehensive Distance Learning.
• Comprehensive Distance Learning (CDL) will still exist for those who don’t want to send their children to onsite learning. Your school will communicate with you more about how to access this option.
• We will do our best to limit any introduction or transmission of COVID-19 in our buildings, but we will need your help!! Please screen your children daily.  Do not let them come to school if they have fever, chills, cough, loss of taste or smell, or any other primary symptom of COVID -19.  Please do not let them come to school if they have been exposed to someone with COVID-19 until the proper quarantine period has passed.  Remind them of the importance of hand washing, mask wearing, and social distancing.
• Despite our best efforts, COVID-19 may still enter our doors at some point: If a student or staff member is positive for COVID-19, we will likely have to quarantine cohorts and even consider shutting down a building and temporarily shifting back to Comprehensive Distance Learning if we have an outbreak.  Please be prepared for that possibility.

It will take all students, staff, and families working together to make this reopening a success.  Please look for more details from each school in the near future.

Sincerely,

Patrick Lee
Superintendent
Rogue River School District #35

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January 21, 2021 UPDATE

Dear Community:

To continue to keep you as informed as possible, the following is an update on where the Rogue River School District is at regarding our re-opening plans:

At the regular board meeting on January 19, 2021 the RRSD School Board heard presentations from our school principals regarding plans to re-open to all students. To ensure that they are making the best possible decision for our students and staff, the board has scheduled a special board meeting for January 25, 2021 to gather more information and hear more details about these plans. At that meeting the Board expects to decide when and how the Rogue River School District will expand onsite services to students.

Once that decision is made, the RRSD will work to inform you of all relevant changes as soon as possible. Communications of this sort can take time to coordinate and prepare, so we may need a day or two to get this out to you. Once the District has shared the overview of our plans, school principals will communicate with families to share details relevant to the students attending their schools.

Please be on the lookout for more communication by the middle of next week.

Sincerely,

Patrick Lee
Superintendent
Rogue River School District #35

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January 11, 2021 - Update

Dear Community:

This is a brief update on where the Rogue River School District stands in regards to expanding our onsite learning with students.

When Governor Brown announced on December 23, 2020 that the decision making for school reopening would now be put in the hands of local school districts, she also cautioned that districts should consider waiting until after January 19, 2021 to make any changes.  The reason the Governor cautioned schools on making any firm plans before January 19, 2021 is because she expects to release updated rules for safely operating schools on that day.

Shortly after her announcement, the Oregon School Boards Association gave superintendents legal guidance stating that schools opening while still in the red zone according to the current metrics, would not have liability coverage.  Having that liability protection is crucial to protecting school districts from potential lawsuits.  All schools in Jackson County are currently in the red zone.

In Rogue River, we are carefully planning to expand our offerings of onsite learning in some form to our students beginning February 1, 2021.  The new rules released on January 19, will play a major role in deciding what our expanded onsite instruction looks like on February 1. 

Because of the uncertainties about how the guidance might change on January 19, 2021, and because of our uncertainty about having liability coverage, we are not announcing our reopening plans until we are more confident that we can actually follow through with them. 

We are optimistic we will be able to bring more students back on campus in February.  We expect to give some form of update with more details on the status of our reopening plans on or around January 22, 2021. 

Thank you,

Patrick Lee
Superintendent

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Dear Community,

There is much distress, discussion, and debate around the topic of racism in our country today.  Current events are shining a bright light across our nation, exposing a problem that continues to exist.  Because of the importance of this topic in our current time, I feel it important to affirm to our community that The Rogue River School District stands against racism of any kind. 

The Rogue River School District is committed to loving and respecting each and every student that walks through its doors, regardless of the color of their skin or any other perceived label,  descriptor, or identifier that may apply. We state this so that our students and our community will have no doubt as to our stance.

Respectfully,

Patrick Lee
Superintendent
Rogue River School District

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TEACHER APPRECIATION

In the smoothest of times, teachers display their professionalism and commitment in a myriad of ways.  They work hard, inspire, challenge, and go above and beyond to help our students. These are anything but the smoothest of times.  In these times of challenge and opportunity, great teachers do all of the above and go even further with their efforts to be flexible, committed, and relentless in their desire to help our student body.  From what I have heard, the teachers of the RRSD are doing a tremendous job.

Thank you for having the intelligence, commitment, and flexibility to learn in just a few days how to change the way you teach.  I hope your students and families appreciate you as much as I do for all that you have done to try and make this transition an opportunity to show just how committed you are to building relationships and connections with our students. 

Thank you for all you do!
Teachers are heroes!

Patrick Lee
Superintendent
Rogue River School District

2020-2021 DISTRICT GOALS

• Student Character & Well Being
• Outstanding Environment
• Foster Communication
• Pride and Image 

MISSION STATEMENT

   “Rogue River School District will offer a high quality instructional program to
    help students acquire necessary academic and life skills to succeed in a
    complex competitive world, while also learning the importance of respect,
    accountability, and responsibility"

 VISION STATEMENT

   “Rogue River School District will offer an exciting interactive and safe learning
     environment where students can excel to the best of their ability, and become
     respectful, responsible, and productive citizens.”    

NOTICE OF NON-DISCRIMINATION

The Rogue River School District does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, disability, or age in its programs and activities and provides equal access to the Boy Scouts and other designated youth groups. The following person has been designated to handle inquiries regarding the non-discrimination policies:

Dr. April Harrison, Director of Special Programs/Title IX Coordinator
518 Main Street, Suite B, Rogue River, OR 97537

april.harrison@rogueriver.k12.or.us
541-582-6003