Inspiring Today’s Students to Meet Tomorrow’s Challenges
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We are currently doing learning in-person, fulltime, five days a week.
Online and Home school options are still available for families who do not wish to return the classroom. Registration for Falcon Online and Great Basin Homeschool Center August 23rd - September 3rd from 8am to 2pm Monday - Friday for more information about these programs visit thier webpages or contact contact Falcon Heights at 541-883-6699.
To begin this school year, the Oregon Department of Education and the Oregon Health Authority has instructed schools to require the wearing of face masks to help mitigate the spread of COVID-19. We understand that many of our families want to be able to choose whether or not their child wears a face mask to school. We respect the right to personal choice however face coverings are required inside all KCSD buildings until the state mandate has been lifted.
No. ODE’s goal is to go back to local decision-making. Oregon Health Authority will review the situation at least monthly. Klamath County School District will reinstate our “face coverings are welcome but not required” policy when the state mandate is lifted and our local public health agrees it is prudent to do so. (Source: Oregon Department of Education)
Yes. Oregon’s mandatory mask requirement for schools is found in OAR 333-019-1015. Like Oregon state statutes, Oregon administrative rules are laws. See ORS 183.310 and Bronson v. Moonen, 270 Or. 469, 476, 528 P.2d 82, 85 (1974) ("Administrative rules and regulations are to be regarded as legislative enactments having the same effect as if enacted by the legislature as part of the original statute.") (Source: OSBA)
The district will continue its cleaning and disinfection protocols in all buildings and hand sanitizer stations will be available at school entrances. Hygiene etiquette will remain an important prevention tool for students and staff. We also want to remind parents to keep children who are not feeling well home from any school programs or activities.
The Klamath County School District will continue to contact trace and use quarantines to mitigate spread of COVID-19 within schools. Quarantine guidelines have changed from last year. Under the current requirements quarantine is not necessary for students who were within 3 or more feet of a person with COVID-19 if students were engaged in consistent and correct use of well-fitting face masks, and other prevention strategies were in place. Students who are quarantined will be provided with instructional materials so they can continue their education while at home.
Any child who receives a vaccination at a clinic hosted on school grounds will be required to have parental permission. At the town hall Sept. 2, Superintendent Glen Szymoniak told parents he canceled a scheduled vaccination clinic at Henley Middle School because the vaccine provider did not require parental permission for ages 14 and up.
Yes. After Oct. 18, school staff, volunteers, and with few exceptions, anyone else who provides goods or services to a school that includes direct or indirect contact with students must be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 or have provided documentation of a medical or religious exception. On or before Oct.18, school staff and volunteers must provide the school, employer, or contractor with either proof of vaccination showing they are fully vaccinated or documentation of a medical or religious exception. OAR 333-019-1030 (Source: Oregon School Boards Association)
Gilchrist School transitions to distance learning
Oct. 31, 2021 / Message from Principal Melanie Mobley
Due to widespread COVID-19 in our community, all grades at Gilchrist School will transition to distance learning starting Monday. There will be no classes on Monday and Tuesday to allow distribution of learning supplies and Chromebooks to students who need them.
At this time, it appears there is minimal spread within our school. However, the illness in the local community is impacting our ability to operate, and we can no longer keep staffing at levels needed to provide necessary student services.
Plans are to return to in-person learning after Thanksgiving break. We will assess the situation and update parents on Nov. 19.
While distance learning, students will meet with their teachers via Zoom or by telephone, and learning packets will be sent home for those who do not have access to the internet. Gilchrist School staff will meet Monday to finalize plans, and we will be announcing bus delivery routes and pickup schedules for those who need meals, student work, and Chromebooks.
We have worked hard to keep our school open to in-person learning this year by following all COVID-19 protocols and requirements, including enforcing the wearing of masks and physical distancing. The hope is that by closing school for a few weeks, our community will have a chance to slow the spread of this strong variant. We want our students back in person as soon as possible and we need your help to make this happen. While your students are distance learning, please continue to follow all COVID-19 safety guidelines, limit gatherings, and stay home if you are sick or have been exposed to someone with the virus.
We are notifying families as soon as we finalized this decision. Thank you for your ongoing support, flexibility, and grace. If you have any concerns or questions, please reach out.
Sincerely,
Melanie Mobley
Principal
Gilchrist Schools
August 2024
Dear KCSD families, Welcome to the 2024-25 school year! We are excited about the
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Dear KCSD families,
Welcome to the 2024-25 school year!
We are excited about the opportunities your students will have this year as we continue to invest in hands-on instruction and robust school experiences at all grade levels.
In our high schools and middle schools, our career and technical education (CTE) programs are aligned with Sky Lakes Medical Center, Klamath Community College, Oregon Tech, and others. This is providing many students extra motivation to be successful in their studies.
In our elementary schools, we will continue small-group instruction in reading and math as well as our project-based learning classes that provide an opportunity for students to explore subjects such as science, robotics, and art. After incorporating this model over the last two years, we are seeing success: Nearly 90% of last year’s kindergartners will enter first-grade this fall reading at grade level or above.
This year, we again will have social emotional specialists in every school. A focus will be dealing with and preventing bullying, harassment, and racism. Our SEL team will work with our teachers specifically to handle these issues, and we will teach our students the skills they need to do the same.
As we begin the school year, I also want to introduce our community to 11 new administrators -- some are new to our district, others are new to their positions – who will take the reins this fall. Read about them HERE. Please welcome them to your communities.
Together, let's work to ensure every student grows every day. Here's to a great school year!
Sincerely,
Glen Szymoniak Superintendent Klamath County School District
As school districts around the state enter the budget season, many are struggling with decreasing
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As school districts around the state enter the budget season, many are struggling with decreasing enrollment and funding issues. Despite the state’s struggle to adequately fund public education, Klamath County School District remains vibrant and healthy, planning for increases in student enrollment and thinking ahead to future needs.
The Klamath County School District Board of Directors outlined its priorities for the development of this year's proposed budget during its February board meeting. Some of these priorities are continued focus on reducing class sizes, retaining pre-school and the Play 2 Learn programs, expanding Career and Technical Education (CTE) programs, ongoing facility upgrades at our outlying schools, continuing free meals for students, and maintaining our teacher mentoring program.
Our 2024-25 budget reflects those priorities. We do not anticipate any staffing cuts and plan to present a healthy, vibrant budget proposal to our 10-member KCSD Budget Committee at its first meeting May 2. That committee includes five appointed community members -- Diana Otero, Bill Jennings, Jacen Jespersen, Melonie Parrish, and Tonia Miller – and our five school board members.
The committee reviews the budget, takes public input, and votes to recommend a budget to the school board for approval. Before June 30, the Board takes public input, approves a budget, makes appropriations, declares the tax levy, and categorizes the tax levy. Adoption of the budget is expected at the June 20 board meeting.
We are proud of the work we have done over the past fiscal year. Our budget message highlights numerous accomplishments from 2023-24. Capital project highlights include a construction trades building at the Henley Complex, a new gymnasium at Bonanza, and the Lost River Community Center. Another spotlight is our continued expansion of Career and Technical Education programs. This expansion includes programs for our middle school and junior high students as well as new community partnerships with industry and pathways into pre-apprenticeship programs in construction and medical science.
As always, funding public education is challenging. Currently, Oregon's investment in K-12 education is 39th in the nation, a decline from its previous position at 34th. Our challenges include continued funding of PERS (Public Employee Retirement System), recruitment of highly qualified teachers and staff, keeping inflationary increases in line with revenue increases, and major cost increases for insurance.
If you are interested in following the budget process, please attend one of our budget meetings or go to our website - and click on the link to the 2024-25 proposed budget.
We appreciate your support. As always, please reach out with any suggestions or comments.
Sept. 27, 2021 / Because of student absences and staff quarantines, in part due to COVID-19, Chiloquin Elementary School will transition to a short-term hybrid instruction model this week. To prepare for this, there will be no school for elementary students Tuesday, Sept. 28. Families will receive details about Chromebook checkout and cohort assignments on Tuesday, Sept. 28, and start hybrid instruction on Wednesday, Sept. 29.
Chiloquin Junior/Senior High School students will continue to attend classes on a regular schedule until further notice. We will continue to monitor the COVID-19 data to determine whether the junior/senior high school needs to transition to hybrid instruction. If the school goes to a hybrid model, athletics and extracurricular activities would continue with extra safety protocols in place.
Under a hybrid model, students are divided into two groups called cohorts. Each cohort attends school in person two days a week and does distance learning at home three days a week. Special education students would attend in person four days a week.
The hybrid schedule will allow schools to implement increased physical distancing in classrooms and on buses, adding another layer of protection against the spread of COVID-19. Schools also will continue sanitation protocols as well as the wearing of masks, hand washing, and social distancing.
Please continue to do your part to prevent the spread of the virus by keeping your children home when they are sick or when they have been exposed to someone with COVID-19. Thank you for your support.
Respectfully,
Glen Szymoniak
Superintendent
Klamath County School District
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