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THURSDAY
•
• $1.50
August 13, 2020
Education
Governor
updates
school
guidelines
Good day to our valued subscriber Mike Mahon of Wallowa
Major shake-up
Pandemic brings
changes in school,
sports for family
Mandate changes from
Oregon Department of
Education
Editor’s note: This is the second of a three-
part series looking at individuals and fami-
lies and how they have been impacted by the
COVID-19 pandemic.
By Sabrina Thompson
By Ronald Bond
The Observer
The Observer
SALEM — The Oregon
Department of Education
announced its last update to
school reopening guidance until
after the start of the school year.
Updates include a new toolkit for
planning for COVID-19 outbreak
scenarios in schools, additions
to the Comprehensive Distance
Learning guidance, including
guidance for limited in-person
instruction and supports, new
requirements for meeting the
needs of students without access
to online instruction, updates to
safety protocols for on-site and
hybrid instructional models, and
updates on meal service, trans-
portation screening and safety
drills.
With this new information,
schools have until Monday, Aug.
17, to submit their reopening
blueprints.
According to the Ready
Schools, Safe Learners guidance,
for the 2020-21 school year, each
public school will work under the
direction of the school district to
develop an Operational Blueprint
for Reentry that is tailored to local
needs. Charter and private schools
are also required to develop a
blueprint.
“Every school, under the direc-
tion of the district, determines
whether they teach all students
on-site, teach all students through
comprehensive distance learning
or utilize a hybrid model,” the
document said.
In order to resume in-person
learning, schools must be in a
county that is no longer in base-
line phase. They must also meet
certain metrics: the county
must have less than 10 cases
per 100,000 people and 5% pos-
itive test rates or fewer in the
preceding seven days for three
straight weeks.
Additionally, if cases occur
after the school year has started
and the county has more than 20
cases per 100,000 people or a pos-
itive test rate higher than 7.5%,
then school districts are to prepare
to transition to distance learning.
If there is a week with 30 or more
cases per 100,000 or a rate of 10%
or higher, comprehensive distance
learning will be initiated.
LA GRANDE — Parker and Jill McKinley
know the shake-up caused by the COVID-19
pandemic all too well.
Both are teachers — Parker at La
Grande Middle School and Jill at Baker
Web Academy. They are raising four chil-
dren and steering them through the pan-
demic — as well as themselves. Parker also
is the co-owner of a La Grande business and
the head coach of both the La Grande High
School and La Grande American Legion
baseball teams.
In a matter of weeks, the family — like
most — went from running dozens of dif-
ferent directions on a daily basis to a much
slower lifestyle. School was closed in March
for about three weeks before it was moved
online. Winter sports championships were
cut short, and in early April the spring sports
season was canceled altogether. Businesses
were impacted in a variety of ways.
“It’s been really challenging, extremely
challenging for everybody,” Parker McKinley
said. “I look at it through so many different
lenses, as far as an educator trying to help a
group of kids in the classroom, trying to teach
to the best that I could and (then to) have that
be shaken up. Also having my own four kids
and helping them navigate through those
changes.”
But even in the midst of the challenge, both
saw positives. Life grinding to a screeching
halt brought more time together as a family.
Running kids from one activity to the next
or coaching sports over a fi ve- to six-month
period in the spring and summer gave way to
a completely different routine.
“It was actually really great to have so
much more time together, and family dinner
in the spring is a rarity,” Jill McKinley said.
“(Typically) I throw something at the kids
in between games or we go through a drive
See, Schools/Page 5A
See, Shake-up/Page 5A
Staff photo by Ronald Bond
Both Parker and Jill McKinley, who are educators, saw their spring and summer shaken
up when the COVID-19 pandemic struck in March. It also impacted Parker McKinley as the
coach of the La Grande High School baseball team. Shown is the McKinley family, clockwise
from bottom left: Jill, Shea, Ryker, Cade, Emma and Parker.
Bar and restaurant police calls hold steady
Pandemic does not
slow calls for
service
By Sabrina Thompson
The Observer
LA GRANDE — Despite
COVID-19 guidance closing
bars and restaurants for a short
while, the number of calls to 911
for local eating establishments
remains relatively unchanged.
While many businesses kept their
doors open for takeout during
Phase 1 and had reduced hours
during Phase 2, calls for police,
medical and fi re emergency ser-
vices continued at around the
same rate as they were in 2019.
From Jan. 1 to July 31, 911
dispatch received 58 calls in
2019 and 55 calls in 2020. These
calls include requests for police,
ambulance or fi re response.
La Grande Police Chief Gary
Bell declined to comment on the
data.
Denny’s, 2604 Island Ave.,
had the most calls both years,
with 21 calls in 2019 and 16 in
INDEX
Business ...... 1B
Classified ..... 3B
Comics ......... 7B
Crossword ... 4B
Staff photo by Sabrina Thompson
Denny’s 21 calls for service in 2019 and 16 calls in 2020 were due
to medical emergencies, car vandalism or theft and people leaving
without paying their bill.
Calls for Service
Establishment
2019
Benchwarmers Bar and Grill, 210 Depot St.
3
Bud Jackson’s Eatery and Taps, 2209 Adams Ave.
8
Denny’s, 2604 Island Ave.
21
Hideout Saloon, 219 Fir St.
7
Jefferson Street Depot, 1118 Jefferson St.
5
Long Branch Bar and Grill, 208 Depot St.
8
Side A Brewing, 1219 Washington St.
3
Ten Depot Street, 10 Depot St.
3
See, Calls/Page 5A
WEATHER
Dear Abby .... 8B
Horoscope ... 4B
Letters .......... 4A
Lottery.......... 2A
SATURDAY
Opinion ........ 4A
Sports .......... 7A
Sudoku ........ 7B
Weather ....... 8B
2020
0
13
16
8
6
6
3
3
2020. General Manager Lori
Millsap-Crites said calls are
made for a variety of reasons
including people getting sick or
cars getting broken into, with a
large majority of the calls being
to the police for people leaving
the restaurant without paying
their bill.
“The fi rst responders always
get here and act really quick,”
Millsap-Crites said. “We are
very grateful.”
Denny’s is open with lim-
ited hours for indoor seating and
takeout. When the pandemic fi rst
started the diner was open only
for takeout, closed for a period
of time, then reopened again
for takeout before completely
reopening.
Ten Depot Street, 10 Depot
St., made three calls in both 2019
and 2020. Owner Sandy Sor-
rels said the calls were for med-
ical emergencies including heart
attacks or seizures, and the calls
had nothing to do directly with
the restaurant. The restaurant
closed on March 16 until opening
for takeout May 10.
Full forecast on the back of B section
Tonight
Friday
45 LOW
84/48
Clear
Sunny and nice
PANDEMIC PROFILES, PART 3
CONTACT US
541-963-3161
Issue 96
3 sections, 20 pages
La Grande, Oregon
Email story ideas
to news@lagrande
observer.com.
More contact info
on Page 4A.
Online at lagrandeobserver.com