Teachers concerned about safety
KGW has heard from a number of teachers who think the Oregon timeline is rushed and say they don t feel safe returning to the classroom. The president of the Tigard-Tualatin Education Association, Scott Herron, said there are a lot of unknowns causing anxiety for teachers. We want to be vaccinated. We re right there. The ship is sinking, there are life rafts, but we have some parents that want us to jump in the water, he said. When, let s go ahead and make it safe for everyone.
Gill said about 60,000 students in Oregon are going to school on a daily basis already. Based on evidence from those schools and from other states, he said with proper protocols in place, it s possible to reopen schools safely. Gill said they haven t seen COVID-19 transmission at school sites where there s diligent entry screening, social distancing rules, face covering requirements, cleaning and sanitizing, and frequent hand washing.