Dear PPS Families,

As we go into the third week of our schools being closed because of the coronavirus pandemic, we are pleased to be able to offer meals to our students again, starting Monday, March 30. As we did during the first week of school suspension, we are making sacks of breakfast and lunch available for pickup outside of 15 of our schools. In addition, seven of these sites will now include once-a-week food pantry services for families that need groceries and other items that we previously offered at PPS school SUN sites.

Dear PPS Families and Staff,

After much urgent collaboration and planning, today leadership from Portland Public Schools and the Portland Association of Teachers shared with all of our PPS educators the outline for how teachers will begin working online next week. This outline represents our upcoming efforts to most effectively phase in supports for our students and teachers during the extended closure of our schools. We appreciate your patience while we, like other school districts, adapt our instructional delivery model virtually overnight. Next week we will share with you a detailed, multi-week plan for home-based learning for your students. Please stay tuned for that.

Dear PPS Families and Staff,

We want to continue to provide you with the latest updates and information. Work continues around the clock to provide academic and social emotional supports as well as meals to students during the statewide school closure, which per Governor Brown’s Executive Order, will extend through April 28.  

Families of PPS,

As the coronavirus situation continues to develop, we are looking at a number of ways to deliver the best possible experiences for students during the extended break, and we want to make sure all of our students can remain connected to their peers, teachers, and schools and have regular access to learning opportunities and curriculum materials. 

Dear PPS Families and Staff,

We recognize that our schools are the critical hubs of our community. Since we first considered the possibility of having to close schools, ensuring that we could still be able to provide meals to our students has been a primary focus. Our Nutrition Services team never hesitated in their willingness to step in, because they feel so strongly about their mission. And now, during an unprecedented time that is confusing and anxiety-causing for many, staff are providing a measure of comfort by ensuring our students are fed. 

Dear PPS Families and Staff,

This is a reminder that, in response to the unprecedented public health crisis that COVID-19 coronavirus poses to our community, Portland Public Schools will extend spring break, beginning, Monday, March 16 with a plan for students to return to schools on Wednesday, April 1 (staff will be expected to return on Monday, March 30, two days earlier). During this time, all school activities, including athletic events and practices, are cancelled. We will assess and confirm or adjust return dates for students and staff, respectively, on Wednesday, March 25.

With the time off in Portland Public Schools because of the coronavirus epidemic, families will need help with child care, and 211info Child Care provides free, customized referrals to child care providers and strategies for finding quality child care in Oregon.

We are humbled by the huge outpouring of community concern and offers of support for our PPS families. While we love our volunteers, we ask that during the extended spring break, you refrain from coming to school meal sites unless you are a PPS family picking up food.

As we shared Thursday night, Portland Public Schools will extend spring break, beginning Monday, March 16 with a plan for students to return to schools on Wednesday, April 1 (staff will be expected to return on Monday, March 30, two days earlier). During this time, all school activities, including athletic events and practices, are canceled.

Dear PPS Families and Staff,

Our city, our state, and much of the world are now dealing with an unprecedented public health crisis.

Since the COVID-19 coronavirus first emerged in Oregon, we have followed the guidance of our public health agency partners, including Multnomah County and the Oregon Health Authority, in making preventative changes in our schools and programs. As this situation continues to evolve, public health experts now believe the number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Portland and Oregon will grow. In addition, we are now experiencing a large number of staff absences, which makes it difficult to effectively operate the school system and causes us concern for our employees and their health. For all these reasons and to best protect our students, employees, and community, we believe it is time for us to act more urgently and more aggressively.

Dear PPS Families and Staff,

With the number of confirmed COVID-19 coronavirus cases in Oregon increasing, including the first instance in Multnomah County, Governor Brown announced new guidance tonight regarding group gatherings and social distancing. We remain committed to keeping our schools open and safe. In accordance with this evening’s guidance and in order to minimize potential opportunities for the virus to spread, we have decided to proactively begin suspending events that bring large groups of students, adults, and community members together. This action is not related to a presumptive case. At this time, there are no presumptive cases in Portland Public Schools. 

In this week's PPS Pulse: High school students write songs in unique project for Smithsonian; Superintendent delivers powerful message.

Aspiring songwriters can struggle to find topics to write about, but nine high school students from Portland Public Schools were given a unique opportunity that was the polar opposite. They received access to source material from the world’s largest museum, education and research complex from which to take on the challenge of writing songs.

Roosevelt High School senior Kaiya Laguardia was named one of Oregon’s top two youth volunteers of 2020 by the Prudential Spirit of Community Awards, a nationwide program honoring young people for outstanding acts of volunteerism.

We continue to communicate daily with the Oregon Health Authority, Multnomah County, and the Oregon Department of Education, regarding coronavirus. Our cross-functional core team is meeting every day to ensure that our practices and policies are in line with the situation as it evolves. In addition:

Dear PPS Families,

Our district staff continues to monitor developments regarding coronavirus in Oregon, Washington and nationally. We are in regular communication with a number of education and public health agency partners, and in daily contact with Multnomah County Health Department and our fellow county school districts. In addition:

In this week's PPS Pulse:Bus drivers don pink shirts to take stand against bullying; Cleveland swimmer wins state title

Students who rode a school bus on Wednesday, Feb. 26, might have noticed their driver wearing a distinct piece of clothing: a bright pink shirt with the words “Kindness Starts Here.” The unique attire was part of PPS drivers’ commitment to combatting bullying.