Oregon’s new school reopening measures clear a way for all Portland-area elementary schools to teach in person Updated Jan 19, 2021; Posted Jan 19, 2021 Students return to Forest Hills Elementary School in Lake Oswego, Oregon on March 5, 2020, following a school closure of three days after a school staffer tested positive for coronavirus.Brooke Herbert/The Oregonian/OregonLive Facebook Share The Oregon Department of Education on Tuesday announced relaxed guidelines for school reopenings, carving a path for districts in the Portland area and other coronavirus hotspots to offer in-person instruction for elementary school students. The new guidelines raise the infection rates amid which the state advises districts can safely reopen for younger children. But they do not alter state mandates on distancing and limiting students’ contact to a small number of other people during the school week, both of which school officials in the Portland area said hobbled their efforts to allow a meaningful number of students to return.