
Community Engagement
Community Engagement
Community Engagement during a time of COVID-19
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During PPS Home-based Distance learning (PPS-HD) as a result of Governor Brown's Stay Home, Save Lives executive order, the Department of Community Engagement recognizes that staying connected to students and families helps foster resilient communities.
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Core Functions
Portland Public Schools is committed to (re)building trust within the broader Portland community, and fostering student leadership to support a sustained, collective effort to transform district-wide policies & protocols. We seek to provide a engagement opportunities that nurture growth and success of every student across the district.
Within the Office of Strategic Partnerships & Engagement, engagement is a strategy to listen to, learn from, and involve our key stakeholders in district decision-making and policy change to accelerate the elimination of the achievement gap.
This team plays a critical role in cross-functional capacity building to;
- maximize the racial identity development of graduates,
- prepare them to lead a more socially just world by partnering effectively with school leaders, families, community organizations, faith-based institutions, business, and civic leaders as key collaborators.
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Beliefs
We believe capacity-building and movement-building practice helps PPS engagement result in systems shifts that benefit racially diverse communities.
We believe strongly in the value of stakeholders having the right to participate in decisions in service of students, especially those who are directly impacted.
We believe that diverse communities have the cognition and insight that helps improve district systems, and our ability to be responsive to the needs of every student.
We believe cross-functional engagement approaches should involve multiple groups and people:
- Who carry out the work, i.e. school-building staff, advisory councils, and/or unions
- Who make decisions about the work, i.e. departmental staff, or leadership
- Who are disproportionately impacted by a decision about the work
Beginning in the world of PPS-HD
Resources for Students and Families
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Support for People who are Undocumented
Public Charge – There is a new federal rule that changes how people are found to be a “Public Charge.” It lets the federal immigration agency look at a longer list of public benefits, and more factors such as family income, when deciding whether a person is likely to become a Public Charge in the future.
The new Public Charge rule DOES NOT include all public benefits. If you are one of the few immigrants who need to worry about Public Charge, remember there are some important benefits that do not count in a Public Charge test. For more information, see table below and visit here. (español) .
Some of the Benefits that can be counted in a Public Charge Test:
Some of the Benefits that cannot be counted in a Public Charge Test inside the US:
- SSI (Social security insurance for people without much work history)
- TANF (Monthly cash for families)
- Medicaid Long-Term Care
- Starting February 24, 2020, the following benefits will also be considered in the Public Charge test:
- Non-emergency Medicaid (OHP) for adults who are not pregnant
- Public Housing and Section 8 subsidized housing
- SNAP (food stamps)
Not a complete list.
- Medicaid (OHP) for kids under 21
- Medicaid (OHP) for pregnant women, including 60 days post-partum
- Emergency Medicaid (CAWEM)
- Oregon’s Cover All Kids program
- WIC (Nutrition assistance for women, infants, and children to age 5)
- Special Education
- School-based health services for school-aged kids
- Social Security Retirement
- School lunch
- Medicare
- Unemployment Insurance
- Food from the food bank or food boxes
Not a complete list.
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Virtual Student Engagement
The Community Engagement Department seeks to center student voice in district decision-making processes so that they have multiple ways to express how they experience school, and have a system for providing feedback regarding issues they face. Additionally, during PPS-HS, engagement opportunities and consultation are available to student affinity groups (student of color organizations) and their advisors.
Click here for the District Student Council page. -
Coronavirus Racism
As COVID-19 infections increase, so may racism and xenophobia. Our priority is to provide welcoming, safe and inclusive distance learning environments where every child’s social. To ensure a learning environment of safety, security and belonging for every student, PPS does not tolerate hate speech nor acts of discrimination.
For more information, see the PPS Protocols to Responding to Hate Speech.
How You Can Support Our Communities
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Be an active citizen.
Register to Vote
With ongoing elections every year in our communities, resources like levies and bonds help fund critical supports for PPS students. In Oregon, people as young as 16 can register to vote. If you are not yet 18 years of age, you will not receive a ballot until an election occurs on or after your 18th birthday.
Register online at sos.oregon.gov/voting. To register to vote in Oregon, you must be:
- A U.S. citizen
- A resident of Oregon
- At least 16 years old
To Vote in May:
- Voters must be registered to vote by April 28, 2020.
- Voters must be registered in the party they intend to vote for by the April 28th deadline.
- All registered voters will receive a ballot about three weeks before the May 19th election.
- Voters can check, update, or become newly registered at OregonVotes.gov
- Vote-by-mail offers a safe way to vote. Stay home. Stay safe. Vote by mail.
Complete Your Census
Every 10 years, the census impacts funding decisions that shape resilience in our school communities. The U.S. Census shapes $675B in funds that contribute to Portland Public Schools after school activities, head start, special ed, school meals, & other resources needed throughout this pandemic. Visit here for more information.
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Donate to our Coronavirus Relief Fund.
The Fund for PPS has established a Coronavirus Relief Fund to help the most vulnerable in our community. We realize that families will struggle to put food on the table, and we aim to provide $100 in groceries to the 10,000 plus families whose students qualify for free and reduced price lunch. If you are able to give, visit this link: fundforpps.org/cv19relief or text the word GIVE to 1-844-334-1540.