As Portland-area districts plan to reopen elementary grades, high schools left behind
Updated Feb 06, 2021;
Posted Feb 06, 2021
Portland-area high schoolers aren t likely to see the inside of a classroom before the end of the academic year. Those who do, like these Central Catholic students sitting in on a French class, attend private institutions.Photo courtesy Central Catholic High School
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Molly Shannon can’t be late to school.
When the Central Catholic High senior arrives for her first class of the day, a student leadership session on Thursdays and Fridays, she’s one of three or four students who meet
Teachers union pushes back after Portland Public Schools announces timeline for reopening
Updated Feb 05, 2021;
Posted Feb 05, 2021
Portland Public Schools announced it may begin hybrid instruction for elementary and possibly middle school students in April. Teachers union leaders are demanding the district survey families of color on its plans.The Oregonian
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One week after Portland Public Schools leaders announced plans to phase elementary and middle schoolers back into classrooms in early April, the union representing district teachers says it’s opposed because reopening schools may put Black, Indigenous and other families of color at high health risk.
The Portland Association of Teachers is demanding the district mount a comprehensive survey of those families before solidifying its plans.
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Oregon’s governor put teachers at the front of the vaccine line but unions are still unwilling to return to classrooms
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Oregon’s governor put teachers at the front of the vaccine line but unions are still unwilling to return to classrooms
John SextonPosted at 1:15 pm on February 4, 2021
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When Oregon was prioritizing who would get the COVID-19 vaccine first, Gov. Kate Brown decided to put teachers at the top of the list, even before elderly people. Willamette Week reports that was a calculated risk: “Brown bet that the bad publicity she’d receive for delaying vaccines for seniors would be countered by the boost to children languishing at home.”
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A Union Head Says Portland Teachers Didn’t Ask to Cut in Line for Vaccines and They Won’t Automatically Return to Classrooms in Gratitude It is a terrible position to be put into, says Elizabeth Thiel. Protest to demand school reopening. (Chris Nesseth) Updated February 3 For some Portland teachers, the gift of a COVID-19 vaccination feels more like an offer they can t refuse. Last month, Oregon Gov. Kate Brown propelled schoolteachers and staff to the front of the state s COVID-19 vaccine line. Educators started receiving COVID shots on Jan. 25; Oregonians 80 years and older must wait until Feb. 7.
Insanity : COVID-19 vaccines for teachers, a key to reopening schools, comes down to location and luck Erin Richards and Lindsay Schnell, USA TODAY
Teachers struggle to get vaccinated for COVID with chaotic rollout
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Lori Torres was nervous about returning to teaching in-person this week in Chicago. Torres, 47, teaches Spanish to all grades at her preK-8 school and has a medical condition that puts her at increased risk for COVID-19, but her request to continue to teach from home hadn t been approved.
Her short-term concern was addressed when the Chicago Teachers Union voted to stay remote while union and city leaders haggled over the safety of working conditions in buildings.