Portland Public Schools

Dear PPS Families,

We have reached the last day of a school year like no other in the history of Portland Public Schools. The COVID pandemic has put a strain on everyone in our community, and while we truly hope that we have served you well through our focus on basic needs and engagement, and our overnight transition to distance learning, we know there is much for us to learn. Thank you for the patience, understanding and flexibility you and your students have shown over the last three months. 

District staff has been working and planning for the 2020-21 fall opening since March. We have considered and mapped out multiple scenarios for opening, given the number of variables at stake and the fact that situations could change suddenly over the summer. We now await guidance this week from the Oregon Department of Education. Once we have that guidance, we will work urgently to reconcile ODE’s direction with our own plans and capabilities. We expect that by next week, we will begin reaching out directly to students, educators and families to ask for your input, preferences and comfort level related to various possible scenarios.

Please look for an email from us next week, as your perspective is critical to our ability to finalize our plans for fall. Until then, we wish you a healthy and peaceful start to your summer.