Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About Keizertimes. (Salem, Or.) 1979-current | View Entire Issue (April 17, 2020)
PAGE A2, KEIZERTIMES, APRIL 17, 2020 Schools move to distance learning, pass-fail grading By MATT RAWLINGS “I refuse to punish students because they Of the Keizertimes couldn’t attend classes to fi nish coursework,” After weeks of speculation, Oregon Gov. Brown said. Kate Brown announced on Wednesday, April For those seniors who don’t have enough 8 that all Oregon schools would be shutting credits as of March 13, the district will be cre- down for the remainder of the year due to the ating individualized distance learning sched- ules to help students earn credits through the spread of COVID-19. “The best thing we can do for the health of end of the school year to stay on track with our children, and thousands of educators across the Class of 2020. For the remainder of the school closure, the state, is to give everyone certainty by an- nouncing the decision today to close in-per- the district will be moving to a pass, no grade son classes for the remainder of the school system for all high school students. Students K-8 started year. School and remote learning their distance learning will continue as best we can using this week, but Perry said remote means,” said Brown during that the district “does a press conference. not expect it to look like Brown also gave a heartfelt mes- the school days we had sage to the parents of all Oregon only a handful of weeks students ago.” “We have your kids, and every However, Perry also Oregon student, at the forefront shared that the priority of every decision we make about school. Their health, happiness and of the district at this mo- safety is a top priority,” Brown said. ment are the high school The Salem-Keizer School Dis- students, not just the se- trict started their distance learning niors. plan on Monday, April 13. “We know this is Hours after the announcement, unlike anything we as SKSD superintendent Christy Per- educators, parents or ry sent an email to students and students have ever seen families and sent her condolences before. Since this emer- — Gov. Kate Brown to the nearly 3,000 seniors in the gency closure began, our district. priority has been and “For the Class of 2020 - we see will continue to be our you. There is no world in which this high school students. is fair. We will not give up on fi nding creative Our educators and administrators are com- ways to honor you and restore every amount mitted to being problem-solvers and partners of normalcy that we can,” Perry said. for our high schoolers so their paths to grad- Decisions have yet to be made on special uation are not interrupted by this pandemic,” events like graduation ceremonies or prom, Perry said. “We’re grateful to our partners in however, all seniors that were passing courses neighboring districts, at the state and in high- as of March 13 will receive a pass grade and er education for taking extraordinary mea- full credits for those courses — seniors missing sures to help us provide individualized and their fi nal two months of school are losing less unique learning opportunities. that two percent of their total K-12 education. “I refuse to punish students because they couldn’t attend classes to fi nish coursework.” Help trash collectors with a few simple precautions By ERIC A. HOWALD Of the Keizertimes An interesting side effect of the stay home or- ders across the state: the realization that part of what we pay for when we go out to eat is not seeing the waste every meal creates. Alas, for many, stay at home orders are result- ing in more trash and Keizer’s two waste man- agement companies are noticing an uptick in requests for bulk bins. “Everyone is home and bored so they’re doing spring cleaning,” said Greg Dittman, manager of Valley Recycling & Disposal. “Even my wife is on the spring cleaning kick.” Humor aside, the city’s waste collectors are taking extra pre- cautions and could use the help of Keizer residents as society battles the spread of COVID-19. Generally, commercial pick-ups are down, but multifamily build- ings and long-term care facilities have produced enough to make up for the decrease. John Sullivan, general manager of Loren’s San- itation, said collectors are wearing gloves that are changed every time they come in contact with open waste. “We went through 1,200 pairs last week,,” Sullivan said. Collectors typically wear gloves, but the Loren’s added an extra layer of precau- tion along with extra hand sanitizer in every cab. “The main thing we are trying to prevent is cross-contamination.” Loren’s serves many of the long-term care facilities in Keizer, including The Oaks at Sherwood Park, the site of a large outbreak of COVID-19. “At that site, we’ve asked them for a no-contact pick-up, but all that really means is they open the gate where they keep their bins so we can pick it up without having to han- dle the bins ourselves,” Sullivan said. The main thing Dittman and Sulli- van need is the bagging of all waste go- ing into gray receptacles at the corner. “That prevents things from coming loose that the guys then have to go out and pick up,” Dittman said. “If there are stray bags outside the container, don’t be surprised if it’s left behind for the next pick-up.” He stressed that bagging only goes for the gray containers, recyclables going in the blue bin should remain loose. The other thing residents can do is leave extra space between containers at the curb. Collectors will stay safer if they don’t have to leave the truck and create space for mechanical arms to lift bins. puzzle answers SUPPORT LOCAL BUSINESS These Salem and Keizer businesses are off ering special services during the COVID-19 shutdown. TAKE OUT -or- DELIVERY 11 am – 8:30 pm DEL WE 503-393-7145 • FIGAROS.COM • 5460 River Rd N TRY OUR SPECIALS 2 MEALS / $ 25 4 MEALS / $ 40 IVER! 11 AM TO 8 PM 5005 River Rd N, Keizer • 503-393-1707 You To Our Loyal Custom k n a er s Th 4415 River Rd N Keizer • copper-creek.net • Follow Us on Facebook DELIVERY 11am los dos to CLOSE Jalisco Style hermanos MEXICAN RESTAURANT TAKE OUT - OR- DELIVERY within 5 miles KEIZER CALL 503.390.0923 CALL 503.393.1800 3590 River Road N, Keizer SOUTH SALEM CALL 503.540.5537 5024 River Rd N 3690 Commercial St SE Take-Out: 11 am – 9 pm Delivery: 4 pm – 9 pm Take-Out: 11 am – 9 pm Delivery: 11 am – 9 pm OPEN FOR YOU! YOUR AD HERE Monday – Friday: 8 am to 6 pm Saturday: 8 am to 5 pm Please respect social distancing in our store PARKING LOT PICK-UP AVAILABLE CALL (503) 393-5450
