2A — BAKER CITY HERALD
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 3, 2020
SCHOOLS
Continued from Page 1A
T URNING B ACK THE P AGES
50 YEARS AGO
from the Democrat-Herald
October 3, 1970
Conditioning was the deciding factor as the Pine-Eagle
Spartans beat the Wallowa Cougars 34-8 in sweltering
heat which swept the Halfway fi eld.
Wallowa could barely drag off the fi eld at the game’s
end, while the Spartans could have played some more if
they had been given a chance.
25 YEARS AGO
from the Baker City Herald
October 3, 1995
State Sen. Gordon Smith, who hopes to become U.S.
Sen. Gordon Smith, brought his campaign for Bob Pack-
wood’s senate seat to Baker City Monday.
Smith, 43, a Pendleton Republican, is the owner of
Smith Frozen Foods, a Umatilla County food processor.
He was elected to the Oregon Senate in 1992 and became
its president in the 1995 session.
10 YEARS AGO
from the Baker City Herald
October 4, 2010
The skate park near Sam-O Swim Center on Baker
Street will soon be getting a facelift and a few additions
that have been 15 years in the making.
The city owns the park.
However, not much has been done in the way of main-
taining it. There are two trash cans near the park, but those
are only square concrete receptacles with no interior liner,
and they’re not close enough to the park to encourage
usage.
ONE YEAR AGO
from the Baker City Herald
October 4, 2019
Baker County Commissioners on Wednesday agreed
to buy two pieces of equipment, one that will help keep
roads smooth and another designed to keep roads clear
of snow.
Commissioners approved the purchase of a used
$35,000 asphalt grinder from the Oregon Department of
Transportation.
Roadmaster Noodle Perkins suggested the purchase
to commissioners last month, saying both the city and
county had rented the grinder in the past.
Commissioners also approved the purchase of a snow
wing for $18,379 from Western States Cat Equipment.
The 12-foot-long wing is attached to a grader and pushes
snow farther from the road.
“It’s a real asset to plowing snow, it’s kind of a must,”
Perkins said.
Commission Chairman BIll Harvey said the snow wing
is “something that is built for this purpose, it’s not some-
thing you can manufacture yourselves and just stick on a
grader.”
Perkins said the snow wing’s warranty, of 5,000 hours
or fi ve years, will transfer to the grader once it’s attached.
He told commissioners the county received a 15% dis-
count on the wing through a federal bidding process.
In other business Wednesday commissioners heard
updates from Baker County Fair manager Angie Turner,
and from Holly Kerns, director of the Baker City/County
Planning Department.
Turner said the livestock auction at this year’s fair had
about 290 animals sold, for a total of $301,288.09.
O REGON L OTTERY
MEGABUCKS, Sept. 30
1 — 26 — 35 — 38 — 41 — 44
Next jackpot: $2.6 million
POWERBALL, Sept. 30
14 — 18 — 36 — 49 — 67 PB 18
Next jackpot: $43 million
MEGA MILLIONS, Sept. 29
14 — 39 — 43 — 44 — 67
Mega
19
Next jackpot: $41 million
WIN FOR LIFE, Sept. 30
23 — 57 — 67 — 70
PICK 4, Oct. 1
• 1 p.m.: 1 — 3 — 1 — 9
• 4 p.m.: 1 — 5 — 2 — 9
• 7 p.m.: 6 — 4 — 2 — 9
• 10 p.m.: 7 — 7 — 5 — 2
LUCKY LINES, Oct. 1
4-6-11-16-20-21-28-29
Next jackpot: $23,000
S ENIOR M ENUS
■ MONDAY: Hearty beef stew, caulifl ower, cornbread, fruit
cup, lemon bar
■ TUESDAY: Boneless chicken breast with cream gravy,
mashed potatoes, mixed vegetables, bread, coleslaw,
peach crisp
■ WEDNESDAY: Pork roast, parslied red potatoes, green
beans, roll, pea-and-onion salad, tapioca
■ THURSDAY: Parmesan chicken, rice pilaf, corn, bread,
green salad, cinnamon roll
■ FRIDAY: Salisbury steak, potatoes and gravy, mixed
vegetables, roll, beet-and-onion salad, cake
Lunches at the Senior Center, 2810 Cedar St., 11:30 a.m. to
12:30 p.m.; $4.50 donation (60 and older), $6.75, under 60.
Meals must be picked up; there is no dining on site.
C ONTACT THE H ERALD
1668 Resort St.
Open Monday through Friday
8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Telephone: 541-523-3673
Fax: 541-833-6414
Publisher
Karrine Brogoitti
kbrogoitti@lagrandeobserver.
com
Jayson Jacoby, editor
jjacoby@bakercityherald.com
Advertising email
ads@bakercityherald.com
Classifi ed email
classified@bakercityherald.com
Circulation email
circ@bakercityherald.com
ISSN-8756-6419
Serving Baker County since 1870
Published Tuesdays, Thursdays and
Saturdays except Christmas Day by the
Baker Publishing Co., a part of EO Media
Group, at 1668 Resort St. (P.O. Box 807),
Baker City, OR 97814.
Subscription rates per month are:
Baker City (97814), $10.80; all others,
$12.50.
Postmaster: Send address changes to
the Baker City Herald, P.O. Box 807, Baker
City, OR 97814.
Periodicals Postage Paid
at Pendleton, Oregon 97801
Copyright © 2020
With the Sept. 27 report yet
to come, fi ve cases had been
reported as of Wednesday
night, Sept. 30, Staten said.
For Baker
elementary
students to re-
turn to full-day
in-person classes
on Oct. 14,
Witty
District offi cials
must review
with health department
offi cials the county’s posi-
tive cases of the coronavirus
to be reported to schools on
Sept. 28, Oct. 5 and Oct. 12, to
determine if the numbers are
within the guidelines.
Under a revised metrics
developed by the Oregon
Department of Education and
the Oregon Health Authority
for rural schools in sparsely
populated areas such as
Baker County, students may
return to in-person classes if
the local health department
offi cials determine there is
no community spread of the
coronavirus.
The health department
also must report 30 or fewer
total cases of COVID-19 over
a 3-week period, with less
than half of the cases occur-
ring in the most recent week.
In addition, students must
be able to attend classes in
stable student cohort groups
of 50 or fewer.
That group limit is the rea-
son Baker students in Grades
7-12 will not be able to attend
in-person classes even if
younger students do, Witty
said. That might change if he
and others can — as they did
earlier in securing changes in
the metrics for rural remote
schools — persuade the state
to increase the cohort size to
at least 100, Witty said.
The smaller cohort size
works at the elementary level
because those students re-
main in their classrooms and
will be kept separated from
students in other classes,
Witty said. Some speciality
staff members even have
been reassigned as classroom
teachers to keep class sizes at
suitable levels, he said.
At the upper grade levels,
however, students rotate
through seven periods per
day and have varied sched-
ules based on their individual
courses, Witty said. While
there is a possibility of
expanding options for some
in-person instruction, a full
return to classes would not be
possible unless the cohort size
is increased.
“We hope some consider-
ation will be given to having a
larger cohort level,” Witty told
his online audience.
“This is going to be a complicated problem as we
enter the cold and fl u season, determining what is a
cough, a plain old cold, fl u or coronavirus. It’s going to
be diffi cult for all of us.”
— Dr. Eric Lamb, Baker County health offi cer
“ODE (Oregon Department
of Education) is looking at
shifting the level and we can
advocate and point out chal-
lenges as they exist,” he said.
Staten explained how the
schools will help the health
department conduct contact
tracing should students test
positive for the coronavi-
rus once in-person school
resumes at the elementary
level.
There will be a daily
entrance log for every
classroom, tracking the entry
and exit of students in each
cohort.
If a student tests positive,
Baker County Health Depart-
ment staff will conduct an
interview and identify close
contacts. Staten said a close
contact is defi ned as anyone
who has been within 6 feet
of the person who tested
positive for the illness for 15
minutes or more. The time
limit is cumulative, Staten
said. For example, the close
contact can take place for 10
minutes one time and 5 more
minutes later, not just in one
incident.
As the contact tracing con-
tinues, the health department
calls those who may have
been exposed and provides
information about how to
prevent spreading the virus
and how to quarantine for a
given time period.
The school and health
department will maintain
communication on the
process, she said. Support
will be provided to help those
who might develop symp-
toms know what to do and to
provide resources for those
in quarantine or isolation,
Staten said.
As of Thursday there had
been 100 cases in Baker
County. Of those, 38 are con-
sidered recovered.
Phil Anderson, Brooklyn
Primary principal, addressed
the health protocols that
will be in place to help keep
students and staff well.
Parents are asked to keep
their children at home if they
have “primary symptoms”
of a fever of 100.4 degrees or
higher and are experiencing
chills, cough, shortness of
breath and diffi culty breath-
ing.
He asked parents to pro-
vide face coverings for their
children if possible. Some will
be available at the school as
well, he said.
If parents are called to
come to the school to take
a sick child home during
the day, he asked that they
respond quickly. And he asked
that parents report any symp-
toms their child might be
experiencing. He also asked
that families follow the Or-
egon Health Authority safety
guidelines outside the school
environment as well, includ-
ing wearing face coverings,
practicing social distancing
and washing hands regularly.
The schools will screen
children before they enter the
building, Anderson said. They
will require face coverings
for all students and staff and
isolate children who are sick
with primary symptoms.
Those who are not feeling
well, but have other health
complaints such as runny
noses, headaches or stomach-
aches will be assessed on a
case-by-case basis, he said.
The school also will work to
ensure small, stable cohorts,
practice frequent handwash-
ing and sanitizing, daily
cleaning and follow all OHA
guidelines.
Katy Collier, Haines El-
ementary principal, detailed
arrival and dismissal routines
for families.
Schools will announce
building-specifi c arrival times
and identifi ed areas where
each grade level will enter.
Staff will be stationed at
the entry points to check
temperatures and ask health-
related questions of each
child. Arrivals will be noted on
daily entrance logs.
Students who are late for
school will be screened at
the offi ce and given a slip to
proceed to class. Teachers will
note late arrivals on the daily
entrance log.
Collier said dismissals will
be staggered and schools will
notify parents about building-
specifi c times and identifi ed
pickup areas where each
grade level will exit. Grade
levels and transportation
modes also will be staggered.
In response to online ques-
tions about student interac-
tion, Anderson said staff will
strive to keep the children 6
feet apart even during recess
through the use of games that
require them to maintain
their distance.
“This will be a constant
conversation we’ll be having
with kids,” he said. “But we’ll
be prioritizing ways to still
make sure our school days are
fun.”
And although students
must wear masks while
they are indoors, Collier said
masks will not be required
when they are outdoors for
PE and recess.
“That’s all the more reason
we’re going to try to get kids
outside as much as possible,”
she said.
In response to another on-
line question about whether
children would be required to
be seen by a doctor every time
they have a cold or runny
nose before being cleared
to return to school, Dr. Eric
Lamb, Baker County health
offi cer, noted that the resolu-
tion to those types of scenari-
os will not be simple.
“This is going to be a com-
plicated problem as we enter
the cold and fl u season, de-
termining what is a cough, a
plain old cold, fl u or coronavi-
rus,” he said. “It’s complicated
and it’s going to be diffi cult
for all of us.”
He noted that if parents de-
termine their child is respond-
ing in the normal way because
of asthma or seasonal colds,
they should fi rst check with
their primary care provider
before returning the child to
school.
“Once the provider says this
is not a COVID-19 case, the
child can go back to school,”
Lamb said. “We respect the
clinical judgement of the
provider with or without the
coronavirus.”
Another person noted that
La Grande is reopening its
schools for Grades K-3 on
Monday, Oct. 5. Witty ex-
plained that Union County is
under a different set of metrics
and different logistics that
allow the District to make that
decision.
“It all makes sense based on
the metrics of each individual
county,” Witty said Thursday.
“I’m hoping and praying we
can meet those metrics and
get K-6 back to in-person
classes.”
Witty said the elemen-
tary schools will be prepped,
ready and awaiting the word
from the health department
on Monday, Oct. 12, about
whether those students can
return to full-time, in-person
classes on Oct. 14.
Parents will be kept
informed through the Par-
entSquare communication
system and building-level
meetings with more informa-
tion from each school are
scheduled in the coming week,
he said.
Witty also will continue
to work to secure the same
in-person school option for stu-
dents in Grades 7-12, he said.
“We certainly want to be
in-person as soon as we can
manage,” he said.
N EWS OF R ECORD
Please Join Us
DEATHS
Bonny Hall: 88, of Baker
City, died on Oct. 1, 2020, at her
home, surrounded by her family.
A celebration of her life will take
place later. Her family suggests
donations in Bonny’s memory
to the American Cancer Society
through Tami’s Pine Valley Funeral
Home & Cremation Services,
P.O. Box 543, Halfway, OR 97834.
Online condolences can be made
at www.tamispinevalleyfuneral
home.com
Paul Bennett: 85, of Baker
City, died peacefully in his home
on Oct. 2, 2020. Arrangements are
under the direction of Tami’s Pine
Valley Funeral Home & Crema-
tion Services. Online condolences
can be made at www.tamispine
valleyfuneralhome.com
FUNERALS PENDING
Robert T. ‘Bob’ Gilkison: His
graveside service will take place
Saturday, Oct. 17, at 1 p.m. at the
Haines Cemetery. Contributions
in memory of Mr. Gilkison may
be made to the Eastern Oregon
Museum in Haines through
Coles Tribute Center, 1950 Place
St., Baker City, OR 97814. To light
a candle in his memory, go to
www.colestributecenter.com
Jan Haga: A memorial
service and celebration of his life
will take place Friday, Oct. 16, at
1 p.m. at Harvest Church, 3720
Birch St. in Baker City. COVID-19
precautions will be in place, and
people attending should bring a
mask and follow social distanc-
ing requirements. The fam-
ily suggests donations in Jan’s
memory be made to Harvest
Church through Tami’s Pine Val-
ley Funeral Home & Cremation
Services, P.O. Box 543, Halfway,
OR 97834. Online condolences
can be made at www.tamispine
valleyfuneralhome.com
A remembrance of David Hicks will
be held on Saturday, October 10th,
POLICE LOG
Baker City Police
Arrests, citations
FIRST-DEGREE BURGLARY
and THIRD-DEGREE THEFT: Nicky
Joe Ballou, 43, of 2145 Fifth St.,
No. 5, 2:08 a.m. Friday, at Camp-
bell and Sixth streets; jailed;
police said Ballou burglarized
the home of Wendy Jean Ballou
in the 2500 block of Ninth Street
between 10 a.m. Sept. 26 and
7:20 p.m. Sept. 27 and removed
$10 cash and a sack containing
return bottles valued at about $7.
THIRD-DEGREE THEFT and
GIVING FALSE INFORMATION
TO A POLICE OFFICER (War-
rant): Jason Aaron McGee, 30, of
Baker City, 4:50 p.m. Thursday,
at Walnut and Chestnut streets;
cited and released.
RECEIPT OF STOLEN MAIL:
Pearl Naomi Adair, 40, tran-
sient, 10:34 p.m. Wednesday
at 760 Campbell St.; cited and
released; police said Adair was
in possession of mail belonging
to McDonald’s, which was taken
from the restaurant’s mailbox.
Crime reports
FIRST-DEGREE CRIMINAL
MISCHIEF: At Windfall An-
tiques, 2306 Broadway St., early
Wednesday morning; police said
a male subject reportedly used a
longboard skateboard to break
out a window valued at more
than $1,000 at the business.
noon to 3:00 pm at The Little Pig
in Baker City.
We’d love to see you!
Mobile Service
Outstanding
Computer Repair
Fast & Reliable
Call or Text 24/7
Dale Bogardus 541-297-5831
If your computer is
in despair call Outstanding
Computer Repair!
www.outstandingcomputerrepair.com
Refurbished Desktop & Laptops For Sale
House calls (let me come to you!)
Drop Offs & Remote Services are Available
All credit cards accepted
“You’ll love the work we do. I guarantee it.” - JR
225 H Street • East of I-84 • 541-523-3200 • grumpysrepair.com