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