Elementary schools in the metro area can bring students back while following safety rules. Schools got new reopening rules Tuesday afternoon, Jan. 19, that eased guidelines enough to allow elementary school students in the metropolitan area to get back to school buildings. In a much-anticipated announcement from the Oregon Department of Education, the parameters around COVID-19 infection rates were relaxed somewhat, especially for the youngest students based on Harvard Global Health Institute recommendations. Still, the infection rate metrics are only advisory and school districts have the ultimate decision about reopening or not. Earlier in the pandemic, to reopen buildings, schools had to follow a strict set of parameters tied to infection rates. Those metrics left districts in the metro area unable to reopen as COVID-19 infection rates remained stubbornly high.