A6 • Friday, October 1, 2021 | Seaside Signal | SeasideSignal.com
Five district virus cases;
most staff are vaccinated
By ETHAN MYERS
and ERICK BENGEL
The Astorian
The Oregon Health Author-
ity weekly outbreak report last
week showed fi ve virus cases
from the Seaside School Dis-
trict. Four were students from
Pacifi c
Ridge
Elementary
School and one was a student
from Seaside High School.
Seaside
Superintendent
Susan Penrod said all recorded
virus cases up to this point were
tied to events outside of school.
Penrod said she is confi dent
in the job schools are doing.
“I feel like things are going
really well, especially since
none of the cases originated in
our buildings and that we don’t
have any spread in our schools,”
Penrod said. “With our conver-
sations with the local health
authority, they have confi rmed
to us that our safety protocols
are working well.”
One virus case was reported
at Anchor Christian Academy,
a private school in Hammond.
School administrators could
not immediately be reached for
comment.
The Oregon Health Authority
has reported more than a dozen
new coronavirus cases across
schools in Clatsop County as
classes resumed for the new
school year.
The weekly outbreak report
showed four of the 14 cases
were from the Astoria School
District. Three of the cases were
students — two from Lewis and
Clark Elementary School and
one from Astor Elementary. The
fourth case was a staff member
at Astoria Middle School.
The school district released
a dashboard documenting the
number of students and staff
from each school that had to
isolate or quarantine because
of the virus. The district has
recorded 12 virus cases among
students and staff since Sept.
10, and six new cases since the
health authority’s report, which
was updated through last Sun-
day and released on Wednesday.
Four virus cases were
reported in the Knappa School
District. Three were students
from Hilda Lahti Elementary
School and the fourth was a stu-
dent from Knappa High School.
Knappa Superintendent Bill
Fritz said all four came from an
event outside of school property.
Most school staff in Clatsop
County are vaccinated against
the coronavirus.
At a news conference last
Wednesday morning, school
district superintendents gave
updates on vaccination rates
and the precautions schools are
taking to reduce the spread of
the virus as in-person classes
resumed in the new school year.
Gov. Kate Brown has
required teachers and other
school staff to be vaccinated
by Oct. 18. The mandate is
intended to help keep schools
open to in-person classes and
reduce the risk to students under
12 who are not yet eligible for
COVID-19 vaccines.
Superintendent Craig Hop-
pes, of Astoria, and Superinten-
dent Susan Penrod, of Seaside,
said over 90% of their staff s are
vaccinated.
“The timeline was tight, but
we got on it pretty quick and
gave our staff numerous dif-
ferent options for them,” Hop-
pes said. “I was, to be honest,
pleased to see the large num-
ber of staff who got vaccinated
based on this requirement.
We weren’t sure how that was
going to go, but a large num-
ber got vaccinated based on this
mandate.”
Superintendent Tom Rogo-
zinski, of the Warrenton-Ham-
mond School District, said
about 87% of his staff are vac-
cinated, but he expects the
number to reach 92% by the
deadline.
“As far as the challenges of
meeting that deadline, it was a
tight window to get a two-dose
vaccine … but at least in my
experience, it’s very manage-
able,” Rogozinski said.
Superintendent Steve Phil-
lips, of Jewell, said he believes
his staff will reach the 90%
mark by the deadline.
Superintendent Bill Fritz, of
Knappa, said 92% of his staff
are vaccinated and he antici-
pates the number reaching 95%.
Fritz said the school district
will lose a couple of staff mem-
bers who are choosing to step
away due to the mandate.
“We’re saddened by that.
We value all of our people, but
we also understand that peo-
ple need to make individual
choices,” Fritz said.
School districts are working
closely with the county’s Public
Health Department to track and
respond to virus cases.
“We work together to make
sure that there’s consistency
between the guidance and the
school protocols, and that we’ve
covered all the bases with-
out overreacting,” said Margo
Lalich, the county’s interim
public health director. “We
want to maintain perspective.
It’s been a little bumpy — as we
all expected — coming back to
a new school year and yet we’re
working through it.”
While the county has experi-
enced the worst few months of
the pandemic, superintendents
described schools as safe for
students.
“Due to the safety proto-
cols that schools have currently
and have had for the last year,
schools are the safest place in
the community for children to
be,” Fritz said. “The likelihood
of COVID spread in schools is
far lower than the likelihood of
spread in our communities at
large.”
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DEADLINE IS MONDAY AT NOON
R.J. Marx
The visitors center bathroom in Seaside.
Restroom: ‘Not a lot we can do about it’
Continued from Page A1
The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of
Appeals, which covers Oregon, has
ruled that ordinances against sleep-
ing outdoors on public property
when there are no shelters available
are unconstitutional.
A new state law approved this
year requires that local regulations
on sitting, lying, sleeping or keep-
ing warm and dry in outdoor pub-
lic spaces be objectively reasonable
for the homeless. The law aims to
protect the homeless from fi nes or
arrest for camping on public prop-
erty when there are no other options.
Cities and counties must comply by
July 2023.
“That’s where ‘reasonable-
ness’ is the word that everybody
is using,” Ham said. “That kind
of concession, so to speak, ‘We’re
going to let you kind of be here
now, because there’s nowhere else
for you to go.’”
Heman said he had witnessed
R.J. Marx
Keith Chandler, of the Seaside Downtown Development Association, and Ken
Heman, of the Seaside Visitors Bureau, discuss problems around city restrooms.
drug users block the doors to the
restroom.
“Visitors back out and leave. Or
they come to us and go, ‘Is there
another bathroom I can use?’ I’ve
gotten to that point where the only
way we can get them to move on and
get the hint that this isn’t the place to
be is calling Dave.”
“These people, unfortunately,
have a right to be able to rest,” Ham
said. “They have a right to use pub-
lic property. And there’s not a lot we
can do about it.”
School: County has experienced a surge in cases
Continued from Page A1
“Not only has it been a long time
since we’ve had all the students
back, full time, every day, but we
have them all back in new build-
ings,” she said. “We’re learning a lot
of new routines.”
Sarah Shields, assistant superin-
tendent of instruction, agreed, add-
ing, “It’s like a brand-new thing.”
The school district’s leadership
team continues attending meet-
ings hosted by the Oregon Health
Authority and Oregon Department
of Education to stay abreast of new
health information and recommen-
dations regarding the COVID-19
pandemic.
The Oregon Health Authority
weekly outbreak report last week
showed fi ve virus cases from the
Seaside School District. Four were
students from Pacifi c Ridge Ele-
mentary School and one was a stu-
dent from Seaside High School.
Clatsop County has experi-
enced a surge in coronavirus cases
over the last few months because
of the delta variant. However, stu-
dent-aged children are also experi-
encing case rate increases.
“When data started coming
out, we were seeing mostly cases
in elderly, but it’s starting to get
younger,” Penrod said. “For stu-
dents, the highest rates are among
12- to 17-year-olds.”
Students of color are also dis-
proportionately aff ected in terms of
case rates.
In light of cases across the
county, Penrod said, “we are very
dedicated to keeping our students
safe by having protocols in place.”
She used the metaphor of Swiss
cheese to illustrate how each indi-
vidual protocol — from wearing
masks and vaccinations to entry
screenings and heightened san-
itization and cleaning practices
— adds a layer of protection for
students, staff members and the
community, and decreases the risk
of transmission.
“We continue to eliminate
holes,” she said. “It continues to
keep us safer.”
Penrod also presented the unof-
fi cial enrollment numbers for the
2021-22 school year. Six-hun-
dred-fi fty students are enrolled and
attending class on-site at Pacifi c
Ridge Elementary School. At the
secondary school level, there are
about 390 middle school students
enrolled, and 500 high schoolers, a
signifi cant increase from the 2020-
21 school year. Cannon Beach
Academy’s enrollment is at roughly
50 students, up from 43 last year.
Penrod said they will provide offi -
cial enrollment numbers in October.
The school board approved a
$750 donation from Tom Briggs
for STEAM (Science, Technology,
Engineering, Arts and Mathemat-
ics) supplies, activities and projects
at Pacifi c Ridge.
The board also approved plans
for a garden site at Pacifi c Ridge
that will off er more hands-on, out-
door learning opportunities. The
project will be completed in phases.
The fi rst phase, which is budgeted
at $1,650, includes 7 feet of raised
beds, one per grade level including
pre-kindergarten; rain-catch bar-
rels; and decorations for the fence.
In the future, the Pacifi c Ridge Gar-
den Team hopes to add compost
bins, a shed for storage and gar-
den signage. The second phase will
involve expanding the garden, add-
ing fencing and potentially building
a framed greenhouse.
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Astoria
LIZ DAVIS SALE
Large three family Garage Sale
October 1,2,3 starts at 9:30, but
no earlier!
32227 Seascape Lane
Cannon Beach, OR
October 1st, 2nd, & 3rd
10am-3pm daily
High above the surf you will find
a sale of substance, surprise,
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perfume bottle collection, wind
chimes and stunning glassware.
Pristine kitchen appliances. Like
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Antiques from the East Coast.
Oval oak dining table and
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Waterford crystal. The most
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Take a test run and enjoy the
view. CDs galore. Pillows and
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See estatesale-finder.com for
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sales, Cannon Beach.
As always, we look forward to
seeing you.
Lots of vintage , antique and
modern furniture, dishware,
many framed pictures and
prints, Coleman gas furnace
like new, tools, wood, vintage
wood extension ladders,
Henreardon dining table and
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1485 5th St, Astoria, OR.
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Cannon Beach
MOVING SALE IN
CANNON BEACH:
OCT 1 & 2: 10am-5pm
179 E. Monroe
A 1908 COTTAGE FULL OF
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Sale includes antiques…..most
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walnut chest of
drawers, teacart, pine trunks,
small tables (two tables came
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rocking chair, two twin bed
headboards, gorgeous queen
bed headboard, English chairs.
Framed art. 1900-1930. Lots
of small antiques: glass, hand
painted china, primitives,
graniteware, etc.
Old books including leather
bound.
Interesting floor and table lamps
(2 table lamps made from a
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from a coffee grinder)
Ship models, games, quality
women’s clothing (med. sz.
10-12)
Everything found in a kitchen:
dishes, pots and pans, utensils.
Weber gas barbecue
Sets of sheets and towels,
bedspreads.
DON’T WANT TO MISS THIS
ONE
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