VALE
According to a newsletter on Friday from Vale School District Superintendent Alisha McBride, out of an abundance of caution, all in-person instruction and activities for Vale High School students will be paused from Feb. 1 through Feb. 11. All Vale High School students will transition to distance learning. This decision stems from the fact that eight individuals who have been in the Vale High School building have tested positive for COVID-19 this week.
In-person instruction at Vale Elementary School, Vale Middle School, and Willowcreek Elementary School will continue, and buses will operate as normal.
The school district has been working closely with the Malheur County Health Department to identify close contacts of the positive individuals. While it is concerning to have eight individuals test positive in the same week, to-date, there is no evidence of COVID-19 spread in the school. Instead, it appears that the positive individuals had contact outside of the scho
VALE
The Vale School District Board of Directors unanimously approved a measure to return to in-person instruction for schools in Vale on Wednesday night at a special public meeting. The targeted start date for reopening is Jan. 19.
The schools in Vale, like other public schools in Oregon, have had to close their doors for full-time in-person learning due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and the related state mandates from Oregon Gov. Kate Brown.
The meeting, which took place in the gymnasium of Vale Middle School, drew out members of the community to hear more about the plan to reopen schools for in-person instruction.
VALE
According to a Saturday newsletter from Vale School District Superintendent Alisha McBride, a special board meeting was held on Friday, during which the districtâs Board of Directors approved a resolution, comprising three main components and requesting action from Gov. Kate Brown.
The three main points, according to McBride, that the resolution covers include reevaluating the metrics for reopening, putting the studentsâ welfare and education first and prioritizing a return to in-person learning.
As far as metrics go, the resolution cites the incorporation of scientific data that shows âschool reopening has not resulted in increased community spread of COVID-19.â