Five Schools Return to In-person Instruction on Jan. 24

Portland Public Schools (PPS) announced today that Alliance High School at Meek, Faubion PK-8 School, Franklin High School, Ockley Green Middle School and Roosevelt High School will return to in-person instruction on Mon., Jan. 24. Alliance High School at Kenton will return to in-person instruction on Tues., Jan. 25. George, Harriet Tubman and Kellogg Middle Schools will extend temporary distance learning through Tues., Feb. 1.  Since early January, 70 of 81 (86%) PPS schools have remained open for in-person instruction, while 11 schools had to temporarily transition to distance learning.

“Similar to the pandemic’s effect on other sectors of our broader community, the latest surge in COVID-19 cases has also impacted every facet of PPS operations,” said Guadalupe Guerrero, superintendent of Portland Public Schools. “We continue to appreciate our community's flexibility and understanding as we navigate changing dynamics. Any necessary adjustments will continue to be guided by our goals of optimizing health & safety in our school communities and preserving a continuity of learning for our students.

"We will prioritize in-person learning whenever viable.”

Cautiously optimistic, the district says that absentee rates among students have decreased over the past week, from 25% on Jan. 14 to 17% on Jan. 20. Requests for substitute teachers have also decreased, from 414 on Jan. 14 to 331 on Jan. 21.

PPS remains committed to keeping as many schools as possible open for in-person instruction and continues to make decisions about closures on a school-by-school basis, taking into consideration numerous factors, including any operational constraints. District leaders will continue consulting with local health officials to monitor the COVID-19 situation.

As with school closure decisions, the district is taking into consideration several factors when determining the reopening of schools, including substitute teacher requests, student absentee rates, and student engagement needs. District administrators are collaborating directly with school building leaders when deliberating on any decision to transition a school community to temporary distance learning or when considering the reopening of a campus to in-person instruction.

Where to find updates

PPS is regularly updating its School Closure Tracker to reflect the most current information for each school. Please visit the PPS District Newsroom and track school closures at pps.net for regular updates on the district’s response to the latest COVID-19 surge. Families can connect with PPS by submitting questions and concerns to its Let’s Talk platform.