COVID-19: Community Levels & New Guidance

Community Levels - Multnomah County (CDC.gov)

Scroll down for more information on local community levels.

For Isolation/Quarantine Guidance, click here.

Masks Optional Effective March 14, 2022

March 10, 2022

Dear Reynolds Students, Families, and Staff,

As we have continued to navigate the COVID-19 global pandemic over the last two years, Reynolds School District has followed all guidance and advice from public health experts.

Beginning on Monday, March 14, 2022, Reynolds School District will transition to optional indoor or outdoor masking for all students, staff, and visitors across every building and on all buses.

This change is aligned with the new public health and schools guidance released by the Center for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC), Governor Brown and Oregon Health Authority (OHA), Oregon Department of Education (ODE), and Multnomah County Health Department. Please note that the District continues to bargain the impact of the change to the state and federal mask requirements with Reynolds Education Association (REA).

As we communicated last week, public health authorities issued new guidance based on the latest local COVID-19 data in our area. Community levels of transmission and hospitalizations of COVID-19 are now indicated by the CDC as green for low community level, yellow for medium community level, and orange for high community level. Multnomah County is currently at GREEN indicating LOW community levels of COVID-19. At low community levels, the CDC indicates that “People may choose to mask at any time. People with symptoms, a positive test or exposure to someone with COVID-19 should wear a mask.” ODE has modified the RSSL Resiliency Framework which guides us on masking in schools to reflect this change. In addition, under advice from the local public health authority, all general contract tracing and quarantining in schools will be paused until further notice.

With these changes, we will ensure to use the tools learned over the last two years of this pandemic including:

Continue offering appropriate personal protective equipment such as masks, gloves, face shields, etc. for students, staff, and visitors who request them.
Continue to encourage handwashing, hand sanitizing, and respiratory etiquette to prevent the spread of communicable disease.
Continue to support physical distancing in all daily activities and instruction to the extent possible.
Continue following cleaning and disinfecting guidelines for classrooms or workspaces in which an individual confirmed positive for COVID-19 or other communicable disease were identified.
Continue to optimize and improve indoor air quality in buildings.
Continue cohorting of students and staff to the extent possible.
Continue offering on-site COVID-19 testing for staff and students who meet OHA requirements for being tested.
Continue to work with school nurses and Multnomah County Health Department to identify individual recommendations of current isolation guidelines for positive COVID-19 cases as necessary.

We know that this change to make masks optional for students, staff, and visitors will come as a relief to many but may cause concern to others. As we move into this new phase where we learn to continue to live with COVID-19 as a communicable disease much like a cold or flu, it is important to remember that the decision to wear a mask for you and your family is personal and respected.

Reynolds School District wants to make it very clear that we support and respect everyone’s right to make this decision for themselves and their family. As we respect each other’s choice, we will be kind and gracious. Bullying or harassment of any kind will not be tolerated.

Please note that vaccinations and boosters have been proven to be an effective tool in the fight against COVID-19. You can find where to get a vaccine or booster here or learn how to report a vaccine or booster for your student here.

We thank you for your patience and understanding as we work to make these changes beginning Monday, March 14, 2022. We will continue to keep you informed if there are any changes in the future. If you have any questions, please contact your school, your supervisor, or the District Office.

Thank you!

Reynolds School District

New Guidance: March 2, 2022

March 2, 2022

This message is to keep you informed of the results of the recent Universal Mask vs. Optional Masks Survey and other news regarding the lifting of the indoor school mask requirement.

As we noted previously, the Oregon Health Authority (OHA) and Oregon Department of Health (ODE) indicated that the indoor mask mandate for schools would lift on March 31, 2022, and then modified to lift on March 19, 2022. This week, the guidance was changed once again with the Governor announcing that the statewide indoor mask mandate would lift for all schools effective March 12, 2022. This new change is in response to the significant decrease in COVID-19 transmission and hospitalization rates.

During this time, we asked our students, families, and staff to take a survey to let the Reynolds School Board know how you are feeling regarding the universal mask requirement vs. moving to optional masking in schools. Thank you for taking the time to complete that survey!

We are happy to report that the majority of our community (55%) were in favor of optional masking in schools, which aligns with the lifting of the mask requirement across the state. You can view the results of the survey here. The results of the survey will be shared with the School Board on Wednesday, March 9th at the Board Work Session.

We have received new RSSL Resiliency Framework guidance from the Oregon Department of Education around this shift today and will be determining what changes will be required using that guidance. We will provide more information next week regarding what to expect once negotiations with our teacher and support staff bargaining groups are finalized.

Thank you!

Reynolds School District

Please see below for results from the recent masking survey.

Full Results

Participants
Student	704	19%
Parent/Guardian	1837	51%
Staff Member	898	25%
Affiliated with Partner Organization	83	2%
Community Member	105	3%
TOTAL:	3627

Universal Masking	1650	45%
Optional Masking	1977	55%
TOTAL:	3627

Universal Masking
Would you prefer masking at only certain levels of schools?
I would prefer universal masking at all schools.	1503	75%
I would like masking at all Elementary schools.	191	10%
I would like masking at all Middle schools.	137	7%
I would like masking at all High schools.	160	8%
TOTAL:	1991

Do you prefer students to wear masks both indoors and outdoors or just indoors?
Indoors and Outdoors - Students, staff, and visitors should wear masks both indoors and outdoors (such as recess).	656	40%
Indoors Only - Students, staff, and visitors should wear masks indoors only. Masks for outdoor use should be optional.	974	60%
TOTAL:	1630

How would you best describe your race/ethnicity? (optional)	*optional question		Universal Masking	Optional Masking
Asian or Asian American	168	5%	106	62
Black or African American	185	6%	102	83
Hispanic or Latino	645	20%	414	230
Native American or Alaska Native	40	1%	21	17
Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander	56	2%	33	23
White/Caucasian	1647	52%	664	979
Multiracial	207	6%	82	122
Other	249	8%	73	175
TOTAL (of those answered):	3197

Would you describe yourself or your student as fitting into one or more of the following categories? (Choose all that apply/optional)	*optional question		Universal Masking	Optional Masking
Navigating poverty	184	10%	89	95
Houseless	39	2%	21	18
LGBTQ+	336	18%	202	134
Migrant	135	7%	85	50
Student/family of color	706	38%	422	284
Student with a disability	244	13%	109	135
Emerging bilingual student (English Language Learner)	151	8%	82	69
Foster care	55	3%	29	26
TOTAL (of those answered):	1850

Student Results

Participants
Student	704	19%

If student, what grade are you in?	*optional question
Kindergarten	2	0%
Grade 1	7	1%
Grade 2	8	1%
Grade 3	9	1%
Grade 4	5	1%
Grade 5	7	1%
Grade 6	69	11%
Grade 7	50	8%
Grade 8	62	9%
Grade 9	128	19%
Grade 10	98	15%
Grade 11	122	19%
Grade 12	90	14%
TOTAL:	657

Which school do you attend?	*optional question
Alder Elementary School	1	0%
Davis Elementary School	2	0%
Fairview Elementary School	4	1%
Glenfair Elementary School	2	0%
Hartley Elementary School	2	0%
Margaret Scott Elementary School	1	0%
Salish Ponds Elementary School	2	0%
Sweetbriar Elementary School	7	1%
Troutdale Elementary School	12	2%
Wilkes Elementary School	2	0%
Woodland Elementary School	1	0%
H.B. Middle School	39	6%
Reynolds Middle School	73	11%
Walt Morey Middle School	83	13%
Reynolds High School	409	63%
Reynolds Learning Academy	13	2%
Community Transition Program	1	0%
TOTAL:	654

Universal Masking	298	42%
Optional Masking	403	58%
TOTAL:	704

How would you best describe your race/ethnicity? (optional)	*optional question
Asian or Asian American	43	7%
Black or African American	44	7%
Hispanic or Latino	205	33%
Native American or Alaska Native	5	1%
Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander	13	2%
White/Caucasian	226	37%
Multiracial	44	7%
Other	34	6%
TOTAL (of those who answered):	614

Would you describe yourself or your student as fitting into one or more of the following categories? (Choose all that apply/optional)	*optional question
Navigating poverty	33	7%
Houseless	6	1%
LGBTQ+	120	27%
Migrant	21	5%
Student/family of color	203	45%
Student with a disability	23	5%
Emerging bilingual student (English Language Learner)	35	8%
Foster care	7	2%
TOTAL (of those who answered):	448

Parent Results

Participants
Parent/Guardian	1837	51%

If parent/guardian, what grade(s) does your student(s) attend? (check all that apply)	*optional question
Pre-K	38	1%
Kindergarten	263	9%
Grade 1	246	9%
Grade 2	244	8%
Grade 3	228	8%
Grade 4	219	8%
Grade 5	231	8%
Grade 6	221	8%
Grade 7	197	7%
Grade 8	224	8%
Grade 9	226	8%
Grade 10	196	7%
Grade 11	187	7%
Grade 12	153	5%
Community Transition Program	1	0%
TOTAL:	657

Which school do you attend?	*optional question
Alder Elementary School	58	3%
Davis Elementary School	2	4%
Fairview Elementary School	87	5%
Glenfair Elementary School	59	3%
Hartley Elementary School	70	3%
Margaret Scott Elementary School	100	4%
Salish Ponds Elementary School	91	4%
Sweetbriar Elementary School	130	6%
Troutdale Elementary School	164	7%
Wilkes Elementary School	87	4%
Woodland Elementary School	126	5%
H.B. Middle School	100	4%
Reynolds Middle School	200	9%
Walt Morey Middle School	248	11%
Reynolds High School	635	28%
Reynolds Learning Academy	41	2%
Community Transition Program	2	0%
TOTAL:	654

Universal Masking	826	45%
Optional Masking	1011	55%
TOTAL:	1837

How would you best describe your race/ethnicity? (optional)	*optional question
Asian or Asian American	100	6%
Black or African American	108	6%
Hispanic or Latino	352	21%
Native American or Alaska Native	21	1%
Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander	37	2%
White/Caucasian	801	48%
Multiracial	114	7%
Other	133	8%
TOTAL (of those who answered):	1666

Would you describe yourself or your student as fitting into one or more of the following categories? (Choose all that apply/optional)	*optional question
Navigating poverty	103	11%
Houseless	11	1%
LGBTQ+	116	12%
Migrant	83	8%
Student/family of color	390	40%
Student with a disability	169	17%
Emerging bilingual student (English Language Learner)	85	9%
Foster care	20	2%
TOTAL (of those who answered):	977

Staff Results

Participants
Staff Member	898	25%

If staff member, what classification?	*optional question
Classified	272	33%
Certified/Licensed	491	59%
Confidential/Specialist	20	2%
Supervisor/Manager	8	1%
Administrator	43	5%
TOTAL:	834

			Classified	Certified/Licensed	Confidential/Specialist	Supervisor/Manager	Administrator
Universal Masking	436	49%	102	271	13	3	17
Optional Masking	462	51%	170	220	7	5	26
TOTAL:	898

How would you best describe your race/ethnicity? (optional)	*optional question
Asian or Asian American	18	2%
Black or African American	23	3%
Hispanic or Latino	60	8%
Native American or Alaska Native	8	1%
Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander	3	0%
White/Caucasian	545	73%
Multiracial	29	4%
Other	58	8%
TOTAL (of those who answered):	744

Would you describe yourself or your student as fitting into one or more of the following categories? (Choose all that apply/optional)	*optional question
Navigating poverty	35	11%
Houseless	19	6%
LGBTQ+	83	26%
Migrant	18	6%
Student/family of color	78	24%
Student with a disability	39	12%
Emerging bilingual student (English Language Learner)	23	7%
Foster care	24	8%
TOTAL (of those who answered):	319

Partner Results

Participants
Affiliated with a Partner Organization	83	2%

Universal Masking	64	77%
Optional Masking	19	23%
TOTAL:	83

How would you best describe your race/ethnicity? (optional)	*optional question
Asian or Asian American	7	9%
Black or African American	8	10%
Hispanic or Latino	19	24%
Native American or Alaska Native	1	1%
Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander	3	4%
White/Caucasian	32	41%
Multiracial	5	6%
Other	3	4%
TOTAL (of those who answered):	78

Would you describe yourself or your student as fitting into one or more of the following categories? (Choose all that apply/optional)	*optional question
Navigating poverty	7	11%
Houseless	2	3%
LGBTQ+	12	18%
Migrant	9	14%
Student/family of color	24	37%
Student with a disability	5	8%
Emerging bilingual student (English Language Learner)	4	6%
Foster care	2	3%
TOTAL (of those who answered):	65

Community Results

Participants
Community Member	105	3%

Universal Masking	26	25%
Optional Masking	79	75%
TOTAL:	105

How would you best describe your race/ethnicity? (optional)	*optional question
Asian or Asian American	0	0%
Black or African American	2	2%
Hispanic or Latino	8	10%
Native American or Alaska Native	3	4%
Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander	0	0%
White/Caucasian	39	46%
Multiracial	12	14%
Other	20	24%
TOTAL (of those who answered):	84

Would you describe yourself or your student as fitting into one or more of the following categories? (Choose all that apply/optional)	*optional question
Navigating poverty	6	15%
Houseless	1	2%
LGBTQ+	5	12%
Migrant	4	10%
Student/family of color	11	27%
Student with a disability	8	20%
Emerging bilingual student (English Language Learner)	4	10%
Foster care	2	5%
TOTAL (of those who answered):	41

New Guidance: February 8, 2022

February 8, 2022

Dear Reynolds Community,

On Monday, February 7th, the Oregon Department of Education (ODE) and the Oregon Health Authority (OHA) announced future changes to statewide face covering rules. On March 31, 2022, OHA will drop the statewide indoor mask mandate for schools and the decision to require universal masking in school settings will rest with school districts and local public health authorities. These changes are informed by OHA’s prediction that hospitalizations will fall below pre-Omicron levels (fewer than 400 COVID-19 hospitalizations).

The health and safety of our students, families, and staff while maintaining in-person learning is our highest priority. As the decision to retain mask requirements or allow optional masking for schools beginning March 31st is now at the discretion of the local public health authority and the school district, it is important to hear the voices of our students, families, and staff. We will soon be sending out surveys to learn how our Reynolds community feels regarding masks in schools to present our board with the information necessary to make decisions based on local public health authority guidance and further discussions with bargaining groups. These surveys will be available as soon as February 14th and will be open for approximately two weeks. You will receive notification once these surveys are available.

Please continue to follow current protocols, including masking, social distancing, and monitoring for symptoms of illness until further notice. Reynolds School District and all school districts will continue to require individuals to wear masks at all times on school campuses, district facilities, and on school buses until further notice.

COVID-19 vaccinations and boosters continue to be our best tool to keep kids in school! Vaccinations are now available for children and adults ages five and older. To get more information or to find a local vaccination event, click here.

We will continue to share additional information with you as it becomes available. Thank you!

Reynolds School District

New Guidance: January 14, 2022

Dear Reynolds Families,

We have recently been notified of new guidance for isolation/quarantine times and contact tracing by the Multnomah County Health Department and the Oregon Health Authority.

Effective immediately, the required isolation and quarantine times have been changed to the following:

For COVID-19 Positive Cases (Presumed or Confirmed):

ISOLATE
Students or staff who have presumed or confirmed COVID-19 or are showing symptoms of COVID-19 should isolate regardless of vaccination status. 5 Day Isolation at Home	End isolation after five (5) full days since symptom onset if fever-free for 24 hours without the use of fever-reducing medication and other symptoms have improved. Day 0 is the day symptoms began or the day of test for positive result. If continued fever or other symptoms, continue to isolate until fever-free for 24 hours without the use of fever-reducing medication and other symptoms have improved. Continue to wear a well-fitting mask around others at home and in public places for 5 additional days (days 6 through 10) after end of isolation. (continue wearing well-fitting mask in school and in public after that!)

ISOLATE

Students or staff who have presumed or confirmed COVID-19 or are showing symptoms of COVID-19 should isolate regardless of vaccination status.

5 Day Isolation at Home

End isolation after five (5) full days since symptom onset if fever-free for 24 hours without the use of fever-reducing medication and other symptoms have improved.

Day 0 is the day symptoms began or the day of test for positive result.
If continued fever or other symptoms, continue to isolate until fever-free for 24 hours without the use of fever-reducing medication and other symptoms have improved.

Continue to wear a well-fitting mask around others at home and in public places for 5 additional days (days 6 through 10) after end of isolation. (continue wearing well-fitting mask in school and in public after that!)

On-Site Exposure (close contact to COVID-positive student/staff)
NOTE: Quarantine ONLY in very limited un-masked circumstances (band, athletics, etc.)

NO QUARANTINE

QUARANTINE

No quarantine indicated for:

18 years and older if:

Had booster shot -or-
More than 14 days from completed primary series of Pfizer or Moderna within last 5 months -or
More than 14 days from completed Johnson & Johnson within the last 2 months -or-
Confirmed COVID-19 within the past 90 days (tested positive using a viral test)

5-17 years if:

Had booster shot -or-
More than 14 days from completed primary series of Pfizer -or-
Confirmed COVID-19 within the past 90 days (tested positive using a viral test)

5-Day Quarantine indicated for:

18 years and older if:

Unvaccinated -or-
Have not had booster shot -or-
Received only one (1) dose of Pfizer or Moderna vaccine -or-
It has been more than 5 months since completed Pfizer series -or-
It has been more than 2 months since completed Johnson & Johnson

5-17 years if:

Unvaccinated -or-
Received only one (1) dose of Pfizer -or-
Less than 14 days since second dose Pfizer

Then:

Wear a well-fitting mask around others for 10 days after exposure (continue wearing well-fitting mask in school and in public after that!)
Get tested around day 5, if possible
If you develop symptoms at any time, STAY HOME - Get tested, if possible

Then:

Quarantine: stay home for 5 days after exposure (Day 0 = last day of exposure)
After that, wear a well-fitting mask around others for 5 more days when you are around anyone (continue wearing well-fitting mask in school and in public after that!)
Get tested around day 5, if possible.

Effective immediately, Oregon will no longer consider masked contact in schools (including on school buses) to be an exposure regardless of distancing. Physical distancing should still be practiced to the greatest extent possible. (See more here.)

Health officials and the Oregon Department of Education recommends schools to concentrate contact tracing and notification resources on:

Exposures that occur during mealtimes (when students are unmasked), as resources allow

-and-

Exposures during indoor unmasked learning or extracurricular activities (example: sports, band, choir, etc.)

See more information from the Multnomah County Health Department HERE.

This means you will no longer get a notification if your student is a close contact, unless exposure occurs during unmasked situations. We will also no longer be providing community notifications by school.

The best protections against COVID-19 transmission are vaccines, boosters, and masks to avoid serious illness. Please continue to monitor for COVID-19 symptoms (found here) and stay home if you have any COVID-19 symptoms.

Thank you for your patience and understanding and for doing your part to keep our community safe.