Oak Grove Academy at the Gales Creek School. Photo: Chas Hundley
GALES CREEK – In a letter to parents of students in the Forest Grove School District, school officials outlined their current response to the new coronavirus.
“We will update staff and families as the situation evolves. We have no current plans to close or cancel school, classes or activities at this time, however, if the illness spreads, we will work with public health officials to determine next steps,” the letter from FGSD superintendent Dave Parker read.
In Gales Creek and Forest Grove’s Oak Grove Academy, should the novel coronavirus become present in neighboring communities, a unique situation could arise due to the nature of where students live before attending the special education program.
Oak Grove Academy is a therapeutic education program that serves students that qualify for special education from grades 6-12, and it’s housed at the Gales Creek School in downtown Gales Creek and in classrooms in Forest Grove’s Tom McCall East building.
Students there don’t just come from within the Forest Grove School District boundaries in Forest Grove, Cornelius, Gales Creek, Dilley and the surrounding rural areas. The program also draws students who live in McMinnville, Hillsboro, and Banks.
According to David Warner, FGSD Director of Communications & Engagement, these students from neighboring communities could still be allowed to attend Oak Grove Academy should the school district boundaries they reside in have a COVID-19 related closure.
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That’s because students who attend Oak Grove Academy in Gales Creek and Forest Grove are full-time students there, and do not attend schools in their own communities, according to Warner.
“If, take for example, Hillsboro closes a high school because they have a case of COVID-19 there, that student wouldn’t be coming from that school to Oak Grove Academy, so they wouldn’t be necessarily exposed to the virus and come into our school. If the Forest Grove School District is open, then those students will continue to come to school,” said Warner.
Other scenarios could bar them from attending the academy, Warner said, giving an example of a student hypothetically being exposed to the coronavirus through a sibling that did attend a school district with possible exposure to the coronavirus, as one example.
The Forest Grove School District and Oak Grove Academy have experience dealing with illness-related closures, most recently closing the Oak Grove Academy on December 11, 2019 after 11 staff members reported “flu-like symptoms.”
So far, only one district in Oregon has had to grapple with a significant closure: Lake Oswego’s Forest Hills Elementary School, which closed on Friday, February 28 after an employee became Oregon’s first confirmed COVID-19 patient. The school was expected to reopen Thursday, March 5 after a deep cleaning.
According to the OHA, some precautions to take regarding the coronavirus are:
• wash hands often with soap and water. If not available, use hand sanitizer
• avoid touching your eyes, nose, or mouth with unwashed hands
• avoid contact with people who are sick
• stay home while you are sick and avoid close contact with others
• cover your mouth and nose with a tissue or sleeve when coughing or sneezing
Symptoms of COVID-19 are fever, coughing, difficulty breathing, and, very rarely, death. Some may have mild symptoms, and others may have severe symptoms requiring hospitalization. The OHA asks those worried they may be at risk to call their health care provider for instructions and advice.
Washington County declared an emergency in response to the new coronavirus on Wednesday, March 4.
Chas Hundley is the editor of the Gales Creek Journal and sister news publications the Banks Post and the Salmonberry Magazine. He grew up in Gales Creek and has a cat.
