Oregon City Schools begin return to classroom

OREGON, Ohio (WTVG) - Students in the Oregon City School district are heading back to the classroom this week.

Superintendent Hal Gregory said staff is prepared to handle all the challenges of educating kids during a pandemic.

“I feel we have as good as precautions put in place as any school district around and we’re going to continue to work hard to keep those moving ahead,” says Gregory.

Kindergarten through sixth-grade students are coming back full-time, but seventh through 12th will have hybrid schedules with two days in the classroom.

One local parent says it’s time for all kids to be back inside the building.

“They need to go back to school, but the school board needs to make sure the kids are going to be safe and they won’t catch COVID,” Kenney said.

Safety is top of mind for Gregory, but plans to bring kids back to class won’t change unless one of four things happen.

“Because of COVID, if our staffing levels can’t be maintained to educate our kid, to transport our kids or to take care of our kids. Number two, if we have a COVID outbreak at one of our schools,” Gregory said.

The other two things that would trigger a change in the learning model for the district include the county moving to a purple status or an order from Ohio Governor Mike DeWine.

“You just try to sift through it all and make the best decision you can on behalf of the kids. And if you keep the focus on the students and what’s best for the students, I can live with myself,” says Gregory.

Schools leaders are expected to move seventh through 12th graders to full-time in-person learning sometime in November.

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