Schools across Oregon sent students home in March for the coronavirus
epidemic, first for a few weeks, then for more than a month and finally for the
remainder of the school year.

Now, as the 2020-21 school year begins, students in the Oregon Trail School
District (OTSD) will remain at home for distance learning, with the choice of
virtual synchronous or asynchronous instruction.

"We want to thank our families for their resilience, adaptability, and patience,"
Aaron Bayer, OTSD Superintendent, said. "We understand the pressure
distance learning puts on them and are committed to expanding our
partnership to engage their children in learning."

Synchronous instruction, via live-streamed sessions, will occur during regular
school hours. Asynchronous instruction, via recorded sessions, can be done at
a time convenient for the student’s family.

Classes for synchronous instruction will offer a full curriculum, with students
receiving grades, while the district intends to transition to a hybrid model
when students are allowed back into the classroom. Parents who are
uncomfortable sending a child to school when the transition happens can opt
to have their child continue to participate in the virtual classes from home.

Asynchronous instruction will be provided by two online educational platforms,
Schools PLP for grades kindergarten through fifth and Edgenuity for grades six
through 12, offering pre-recorded lessons that may be viewed at any time.
Students who participate in online instruction would not transition to the

hybrid model once schools reopen but would continue with the online
instruction for the full school year.

Students with an Individualized Education Program or a 504 plan will hear
from case managers during the first week of school to go over their plans.
The district will also work with families for technology and internet needs,
including Chromebooks and wireless hotspots available for checkout.

Virtual classes will take place on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday, with
advisory classes and kindergarten through fifth grade community building
classes on Wednesdays. Teachers will also have daily office hours. Elementary
students will be assigned to their grade level class, while middle school
students will be in classes for core content areas (math, science, social studies
and English language arts) and high school students will be assigned classes
based on their completed forecast.

The district also will offer meals, and will distribute a plan and schedule to
parents, along with information about the state’s expanded free and reduced
guidelines.

To transition to the hybrid model, offering instruction with two cohorts of
students attending school on alternating days, the district will follow health
metrics from the Oregon Health Authority and the Oregon Department of
Education. Metrics for both Clackamas and Multnomah County will be
considered due to 38 percent of the district’s teachers living in Multnomah
County.

For more information and full details on reopening and COVID-19, visit
www.oregontrailschools.com.