Schools confident in contact tracing for virus
Oct. 6—Local schools are confident that their system for contact tracing and other protocols are working to help prevent the spread of the coronavirus.
Astoria Superintendent Craig Hoppes emphasized the lengths that schools in his district have gone in order to reduce transmission of the virus.
"There is not a kid in the district who can't go somewhere and we don't know where they're at, whether they're on a bus, we know what seat they're on, whether they go to lunch, we know what seat they're on," Hoppes said during a news conference on Wednesday. "That's how detailed it is across the board, every day, all day. So if there is a case, we can contact trace and we know exactly where that kid is at all times.
"In classes, especially the middle school and high school for Astoria, they are assigned seats, we know exactly where they are. We put procedures in place so that when kids are in between classes, they're constantly moving — nobody stands around and visits ... I have administrators with rulers out, measuring desks to see how far kids are away (from each other). So there are fine details that we have to do, but that's what we need to do to keep kids in and we will continue to do that."
The Oregon Health Authority and local schools have disclosed a few dozen virus cases since the new school year began.
During the news conference, school superintendents highlighted that maintaining an open line of communication with parents has been key in contact tracing and limiting the spread of the virus.
Hoppes said they get a number of phone calls every day from parents asking questions regarding symptoms and keeping students home.
"I am just really pleased and proud of our parents because since last year when we started bringing kids back to school, they really stepped up with the symptom monitoring, it has been very helpful," he said.
Superintendents also reiterated that schools are among the safest places for children during the pandemic.
"The evidence that we are looking at seems to suggest that cases are showing up at school and getting caught because of the protocols that we have in place ... Because schools are open, it does mitigate the spread in the community and it seems to be safer with schools open," Warrenton-Hammond Superintendent Tom Rogozinski said.
"Early on in the pandemic, in 2020, there was a little bit of that, 'Oh, my gosh, the sky is falling, we had a case,'" Rogozinski said. "Now, not to normalize the threat, but to understand that ... the protocols that we are putting in place are working."
While school districts have made online learning an option, superintendents also stressed the importance of in-person learning to student success . Rogozinski added that students' social and emotional needs are also more easily met when classes are in-person.
"Kids are better learners and we can serve kids better when they are in-person," Hoppes said. "The social-emotional that Tom talked about is so very valuable and we can do it a lot better when they are in-person."
The Oregon Health Authority, meanwhile, reported 13 new virus cases for the county on Wednesday and eight new virus cases on Tuesday. Since the pandemic began, the county had recorded 2,345 virus cases and 27 deaths as of Wednesday.
