January 27, 2021
The
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INSIDE L O C A L N E W S
Week in Review
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Wells Picked for Wilson Renaming
District to name
high school for
civil rights icon
M iChael l eighton
P ortland o bserver e ditor
Portland’s Wilson High School
will be renamed Ida B. Wells-Bar-
nett High School in honor of one
of America’s most famous early
civil rights leaders, a Black wom-
an who fought for the right to vote,
a person born into slavery in 1862
and who was freed by the Eman-
cipation Proclamation during the
Civil War.
Superintendent of Portland
Public Schools Guadalupe Guer-
rero approved the proposal from
the Wilson High School Renam-
ing Committee, a large group
composed of students, teachers,
alumni and parents. The decision
was shared last week in a letter
to community members and was
scheduled to be considered for
final approval Tuesday evening
Ida B. Wells-Barnett was born into slavery in 1862 and was freed
during a regular school board
during the Civil War. An investigative journalist, educator and
leader in the civil rights movement, she was considered the most
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famous Black woman of her time.
by
S PORTS
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Arts &
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ENTERTAINMENT
Vaccine Timelines Change
Governor opens COVID-19 shots to teachers
M ETRO
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O PINION
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(AP) — Gov. Kate Brown is defending her deci-
sion to reject federal guidelines and prioritize teach-
ers for the COVID-19 vaccine before some elderly,
stating that if all of Oregon’s seniors were vacci-
nated first teachers would likely not be vaccinated
before the school year and many students would not
return to in-person learning.
Officials from the Oregon Health Authority Fri-
day presented a new vaccination timeline that delays
the eligibility for seniors 65 to 69 years old to be
vaccinated until March 7 and those 70 to 74 pushed
back to Feb. 28.
“I know there will still be some who disagree
with this choice,” Brown said about prioritizing
teachers. “I also know there are many Oregonians
who are eager to get the vaccine. The harsh reality is
we are managing a scarce resource right now. I wish
we had more vaccines to give.”
Following news that state’s would not receive as
many vaccine doses as they had been told by the
federal government, Oregon officials announced
a change to the vaccine distribution — instead of
vaccinating teachers and seniors at the same time,
teachers started to be vaccinated on Monday. Ore-
gonians 80 and older become eligible to receive the
shots starting Feb. 8.
The governor addressed the struggles students
have faced with distance learning since the pandem-
ic closed schools last March.
“If schools remain remote the potential education
loss could be substantial,” Brown said. “This is es-
pecially true in mathematics, with students likely to
lose five to nine months on learning by the end of
this school year.”
Oregon Gov. Kate Brown visits a COVID-19
vaccination clinic at the Oregon State
Fairgrounds in Salem. (AP photo)
“If we were to vaccinate every Oregon senior
first, the unfortunate and harsh reality is that many
of our educators would not get vaccinated this
school year and Oregon kids would continue to suf-
fer,” Brown said. “If we flip that, and prioritize the
needs of Oregon kids, it puts a two week delay on
beginning vaccinations for seniors who live inde-
pendently.”
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