6A | WEDNESDAY, MARCH 18, 2020 | SIUSLAW NEWS
ROUTE from page 1A
Just moments after the last
lunch was handed out, Or-
egon Gov. Kate Brown an-
nounced new social distanc-
ing policies as a response to
the outbreak of the novel
coronavirus, COVID-19.
The policies included
shutting down dine-in ser-
vices at restaurants and lim-
iting crowds to 25 people or
less.
The governor’s mandates
forced multiple local busi-
nesses to put staff on fur-
lough, or even close down
entirely, leaving many in
the region food insecure.
School food delivery pro-
grams could become vital to
keeping the region’s econo-
my afloat as the true effects
of the COVID-19 become
known.
“While it is not a direct
goal to feed adults, if the
people doing distribution
come across someone in
need and we have the supply,
they won’t be turned away,”
Grzeskowiak said. “That
meal won’t be reimbursable,
but we will be helping some-
one that is taking care of one
of the students that is caught
up in the closure.”
Flexibility is the key word
for the district, as things
have changed drastically
since Brown announced the
closure of all schools in Ore-
gon last Thursday.
“Patience and flexibili-
ty are greatly appreciated,”
Harklerode said, pointing
out that staff emails sent out
to organize the venture were
sometimes contradicted in
minutes by new information.
“This has been developing
so quickly over this weekend,
in terms of who’s coming in,
whose not, this is going to
be complicated,” Harklerode
said.
One of the main goals of
the district is triaging needs
in the community. This will
be done through person-
al phone calls by teachers
volunteering their time, or
through surveys sent out
with the meals.
“We’re looking for what
[internet] connectivity is
at home,” Harklerode told
staff. “Are they going to need
PHOTOS BY JARED ANDERSON/SIUSLAW NEWS
School staff prepare to start serving brown-bag lunches and breakfasts on Monday. The food program will also deliver lesson plans.
a Chromebook? Another
question is, ‘Are there oth-
er resources that you need?’
That’s not a well worded
question, but we wanted to
leave it open. That’s a con-
versation between teachers
and families. ‘Hey, I need
childcare, I need laundry.’
You know the families that
have those connections, so
work those connections to
find out how we can support
them.”
Harklerode stressed that it
is not a promise of support.
With district resources in
limited supply, it will be un-
able to organize or provide
all the services in the com-
munity.
One example would be
childcare. While the district
is able to provide services
for district staff and first
responders, social distanc-
ing policies and staff short-
ages due to illness prevent
the district from having too
many students in the build-
ings. Therefore, the onus will
be on other organizations or
create daycare possibilities
for the majority of children
in the region.
But to make such con-
nections, the community
must first assess the needs of
parents and children in the
community, which is a goal
of the district.
Homework is a secondary
objective for the district over
the next two weeks.
“Make no mistake, in-
structional integrity is not
a primary concern for me,”
Harklerode told staff on
Monday. “Keeping kids en-
gaged in learning, giving
parents a break and keeping
them connected with what
we’re doing is of paramount
importance.”
This week, the district will
focus on getting out assign-
ments that are broad in na-
ture.
“What I really want is a
common kindergarten pack-
et, a common first-, second-,
third-grade packet. Not
something specifically for
your students,” Harklerode
said. “Just something for a
two-week period that kids
can work on to stay engaged.
After that, we can do every-
thing else online.”
What occurs after the two
week closure is still a linger-
ing question. Initially, the
first week of April was the
target date for reopening the
districts. The reason for clos-
ing was not containment of
COVID-19, but a response
to teachers and students not
coming to school. But with
the state now focusing on
social distancing measures
to help mute the spread of
the virus, the calculation
may change.
“[Oregon] is going to do
some reevaluation at the end
of the month,” Grzeskowiak
said. “If this really progresses
the way that it could, there’s
potential that this could go
longer. Washington is closed
through April 24. New York
is closed through the first
week of May. We’re ahead of
the curve here with trying to
get stuff for kids to get that
together, but we’re going to
see if the state catches up.
I don’t think anybody has
contemplated this scenario
before.”
The issue is further com-
plicated by Center for Dis-
ease Control (CDC) rec-
ommendations
regarding
closure. Updated on March
12, CDC ties its recommen-
dations of school closures
to the rate of infection of
any given community. Low
and moderate spread of
COVID-19 in the communi-
ty would constitute schools
remaining open, with a
Give a Hand to Food Share
March 10-March 31st.
strong focus on social dis-
tancing and constant disin-
fection.
“We’re going to try and
keep a six-foot bubble,” Grz-
eskowiak said when asked
what measures they would
take if the school were to
reopen in April. “We’ll be
using a lot more common
space. We’re trying to keep
10 to 15 kids in a class set-
ting. We don’t know what
our attendance numbers will
be, but we’ll know that they’ll
be lower.”
If the spread of COVID-19
is high in a community, the
CDC recommends schools
closing for periods of eight
weeks or more.
However, the level of com-
munity spread in places like
the Siuslaw region are un-
known.
On March 17, Lane Coun-
ty released its first con-
firmed case of COVID-19,
a 69-year-old man in the
Eugene/Springfield
area
who is medically stable. The
county states that “this case
is thought to be an example
of community transmission.”
The county is currently iden-
tifying the patient’s contacts.
Exactly how the individ-
ual contracted the virus,
and how many people came
in contact with the patient
since March 1 when they be-
gan exhibiting symptoms, is
also unknown.
It’s these types of un-
knowns that leave a host of
near-future uncertainties re-
garding school closures.
“You talk about a spider
web of possibilities. We don’t
know what thread we’re run-
ning on right now,” Grzesko-
wiak said.
“Here’s what I do know
— we have a highly pro-
fessional, highly dedicated
workforce in this district,”
Harklerode told staff on
Monday. “I know that if we
put our mental muscle to
work, we will find creative
ways to fill the needs kids
have. I have full faith in the
professionalism and the
commitment of the people
of this district.”
UPDATE: At press time
Tuesday, Gov. Kate Brown
extended school closures
through April 28. More info
is available at
TheSiuslawNews.com/
Coronavirus.
Ford Escape
Test drive it today !
Buying or Selling? I can help.
Amy Johnson
Broker, CSA
541 999-7875
Mercer Creek Dr #173 – Build your dream home
on this beautiful North Lakes area lot. Nestled in
the trees and near Sutton Lake, this lot is .30 of an
acre and ready for you to develop. Wind protect-
ed, quiet neighborhood, no HOA and close to all
Florence has to offer. $53,000. #2830-18215029
1749 Highway 101 • 541-997-1200
•
•
•
•
•
•
Accepting Jewelry donations
NOW at these Locations:
Oregon Pacifi c Bank
Banner Bank
Green Trees
Senior Center
First Community
Florence Food Share
All proceeds go to benefi t Florence Food Share
Burns’s Riverside Chapel
Final Arrangements
I
2765 Kingwood St.
541-997-3416
Florence, OR
24 Hours
burnsriversidechapel.com
Since 1939
2150 Hwy. 101 • Florence
(541) 997-3475 • 1-800-348-3475
Mo’s Restaurant
Florence Funeral Home
QWLPHVRIJULHIPDNLQJGLI¿FXOWGHFLVLRQVDERXW
KRZEHVWWRKRQRUWKHPHPRU\RIVRPHRQHVR
LPSRUWDQWFDQEHRYHUZKHOPLQJWe are here to
help with complete, professional and compassionate
IXQHUDOSODQQLQJVHUYLFHVWRPHHW\RXUQHHGVDQG
UHVSHFWIXOO\ FHOHEUDWH WKH OLIH DQG OHJDF\ RI \RXU
ORYHGRQH
Johnston Motor Company
We appreciate you!
Fall is a great time for locals to enjoy
Surfside Restaurant and the magnifi cent ocean view!
To say thank you for being or becoming a customer
we’d like to reward you with our Loyalty Card.
Come pick up yours today!
Drift wood Shores Resort
88416 1st Avenue, Florence
GRILLED, POACHED OR
BLACKENED ALASKAN
COD STEAK $13.95
and for dessert...
M ARIONBERRY OR P EACH COBBLER $4.95,
ADD ICE CREAM FOR ONLY $1.00
Mo’s Old Town, Florence • Daily 11 am - 8 pm
Serving Bowls of comfort for Over 50 Years
Serving the entire Oregon Coast.
Staff ed locally with factory trained professionals.
Residential and Commercial
Garage Door Installation.
Overhead Door Company of Th e Oregon Coast™
541.997.5008
OverheadDoor.com
CCB# 50460