Portland Public Schools

This week, we announced to our families and staff that all schools in Portland Public Schools will be closed on Wednesday, May 8. To recover the lost instructional hours, we have decided to use our last designated makeup day as the final day of school, on Wednesday, June 12.

Here are answers to some questions about the decision:

Q: Why are schools being closed?

A: May 8 has been designated as a “Day of Action” by the Oregon Education Association in which teachers around the state intend to be absent to advocate for full funding for K-12 public schools.

Q: Why can’t you open schools with the teachers who choose not to participate and administrators?

A: From our communications with the Portland Association of Teachers and our principals, we have an estimate on how many teachers will be absent. That number will exceed our ability to safely open and operate our schools.

Q: Why is the final day of school all the way back to June 12? The original district calendar had June 7 as the final day.

A: The calendar designated June 10, 11 and 12 as makeup days. The district had already decided to use June 10 and 11 to recover lost instructional hours from February’s weather closures.

Q: What about high school seniors? When will their last day of class be?

A: We’re moving the final instructional day for seniors from May 30 to May 31. In addition, we will ask the PPS Board of Education to approve an exception for the seniors so they can meet the state-mandated instructional hours for grade-12 students, and they can graduate as scheduled, with ceremonies starting June 2.

Q: What about Outdoor School, which is scheduled May 6-10? And night class?

A: Outdoor School will remain open and run uninterrupted. Night classes also will continue as regularly scheduled.

Q: What if my child was supposed to take an Advanced Placement or International Baccalaureate test on May 8?

A: Previously scheduled AP and IB testing will proceed as planned on May 8.

Q: What about events for sports and arts scheduled in the late afternoon or early evening on May?

A: We are in the process of confirming if those competitions and events will continue as planned. If we need to cancel any, we will follow up with the affected school communities and participants.

Q: What about child care for families that use PPS services? Will that still be available on May 8?

A: We ask that you contact your child care provider directly to determine if they will be offering services on May 8.

Q: Will the central office be open on May 8?

A: Yes, the district office at the Blanchard Education Service Center will be open for normal hours.

If you have other questions, please contact pubinfo@pps.net.