Frequently Asked Questions

For those who need to remain in continuous learning, we understand. While many of our resources need to shift to Campus-Based Instruction in order to have more in person instruction, the remote, continuous learning experience will most certainly look different than before. That said, we will do all we can to support our students and teachers who need to remain off campus. The remote learning style will vary by division. Teaching our younger students remotely will require more independent work and individual tutoring with specialists and assistants. This, too, will continue to evolve as we embark on delivering the best education we can, both on campus and off. If your child is struggling or needs more support at any point, please let us know.

This could happen in consultation with local public health authorities if we start to see active spread of COVID-19 within the OES community.

This could happen in consultation with local public health authorities if we see such an improvement in local community metrics that they fall below 50 cases per 100,000 for 14 days and if there is no spread within our own school community. While we expect to be wearing face coverings and have basic safety prevention practices in place on our campus for the foreseeable future, we look forward to welcoming more and more people on campus as time goes on.

The campus is only open to people currently engaged in OES programming. For the safety of our community, we aren’t able to allow for parent drop-ins at this time. All buildings and fields are closed to the public, but OES fans are allowed to spectate outdoor athletics in a limited capacity.

It is our greatest hope that we will be able to welcome all students back to campus for full-time campus-based instruction in September. However, since we have no way of knowing whether the virus will take a surprising turn, or whether all children will have access to a vaccine by late summer, we cannot know for certain whether this will be possible. We expect that some measures to reduce the spread of the virus, (such as wearing masks), will remain into the 2021-22 school year. 

On April 27, 2021, the CDC shared revised guidance for mask wearing outside. The new guidance is based on evidence that transmission rates of the virus that causes COVID-19 are very low outdoors because aerosolized virus particles dissipate quickly. It advises that fully vaccinated people, and a single low-risk unvaccinated person, can gather outside in a small group without masks. In small groups where there are both vaccinated and unvaccinated people, the guidance is that unvaccinated people need to wear masks.

We see ourselves as one community, and because so many in our community are not yet vaccinated, we will continue to enforce our current mask policy: All people, regardless of vaccination status, need to wear a mask at all times when on campus. When individuals need to remove their masks to eat, they need to space themselves at least 6 feet from other people, preferably outside.

• Revised and tightened “Community Agreements.”
• School buildings closed to parents and visitors.
• Masks, distancing, hand hygiene, protocols.
• Staggered drop off and pick up.
• Limited busing and no on-campus extension program.
• No lockers or drinking fountains.
• Sack lunches (from home or Bon Appetit).
• Dramatically decreased movement and freedoms for students and adults.

As stated in the OES Community Agreements, every community member (students, employees, and parents/guardians) needs to commit to act in a manner that not only protects their own health, but also that of the broader community. Those who do not uphold this commitment will be prohibited from campus for a specified period of time, as determined by the OES administration.

Families will be required to complete a health screening for their students each morning prior to coming to campus. To protect our community, it is imperative that students remain at home if they have any symptoms of illness. As an extra precaution, we are also asking for students to remain at home if anyone in their family is experiencing any symptoms. We will request that the ill student and any siblings who attend OES be tested for COVID-19, and receive a negative test, before returning to campus.

If a student or employee has a household member who tests positive for COVID-19, or is assessed to be a close contact of someone who has tested positive, the student or employee must quarantine at home for 14 days. Learn more from the Oregon Department of Education.

If anyone in your family is diagnosed with COVID, whether your student has been on campus recently or not, please inform our COVID Response Coordinator Tna Meyerhoff at meyerhoffc@oes.edu so that we can manage the necessary contact tracing measures with Washington County. There is no shame in becoming ill from this contagious virus and we will protect your privacy when reporting by notifying the necessary parties only that they have been exposed.

If a student or employee is exposed to someone with a confirmed or presumptive case of COVID-19, that individual must quarantine at home for 14 days.

If you believe your student has been exposed to the virus, please contact our COVID Response Coordinator Tna Meyerhoff at meyerhoffc@oes.edu or by calling 503-768-3166.

We have made many upgrades to our filtration system to prioritize fresh air to flow through our buildings. The HVAC system in the Lower School already does this naturally. In our other campus buildings, we have found ways to override the controls to pull in more fresh air. We have also added several portable filtration systems for rooms with less ventilation. Fresh air is one of the important components to decreasing the risk of spreading the virus. We will also move classes and activities outside whenever possible.

We are deeply grateful that our employees have been eligible to become vaccinated against COVID-19. However, we do not anticipate changing any of our practices until a great majority of people—students included—have been vaccinated. Vaccination is just another layer in our risk-mitigation strategy, and those who are vaccinated are expected to follow the same rules as those who are not. Per guidance from the OHA, though, people who are fully vaccinated (e.g. two weeks past their final dose of the vaccine) do not need to quarantine post exposure or post travel.

It's not yet known how much a vaccinated individual can carry and transmit the virus, but guidance from OHA indicates that the risk is very low. If everyone continues to follow rules of wearing masks and keeping distance from people outside of your households, you should be able to start spending time again with older relatives who are fully vaccinated, with low risk to you or for them.

We have a contract with NW Mobile Testing to work with our dorm community resulting in everyone being tested 1x/week. We can also offer rapid testing to students or employees who become symptomatic while on campus, or who when there is an exposure within a cohort.

Most physician offices and many pharmacies are offering drive-thru COVID tests.

Our wonderful food service, Bon Appetit, has ramped up their ability to make many hundreds of sack lunches for us each day within the confines of limited space. They are providing lunches for all LS, MS, and US students who want them (students may also bring a lunch from home). Please remember we are a nut-aware campus; out of respect for those in our community with severe peanut and tree nut allergies, please do not send tree nut or peanut products for lunches or snacks.

Our community agreements were recently revised particularly with this sort of need in mind - recognizing that people need to carpool, share childcare, etc. If students are in the same cohort, they absolutely can carpool together. We do advise that people wear masks and drive with the windows open unless they are driving with people from their household pod.

COVID-19 spreads mainly from person to person through respiratory droplets. Respiratory droplets travel into the air when you cough, sneeze, talk, shout, or sing. These droplets can then land in the mouths or noses of people who are near you or they may breathe these droplets in. Masks are a simple barrier to help prevent your respiratory droplets from reaching others. Studies show that masks reduce the spray of droplets when worn over the nose and mouth. Learn more from the CDC about the best mask for you and your children.

We are currently providing very limited bus services. If this is your only impediment for your student returning to campus, please contact Transportation Administrative Assistant Robbi Garvin at garvinr@oes.edu.

Yes. Health authorities assert that it is extremely important that everyone six months of age and older should get immunized against influenza this year (medical exemptions notwithstanding). Influenza and COVID-19 share many of the same symptoms, and it is possible to get both viruses simultaneously. We are urging all of our employees to get the flu vaccine this year and we may require it for students regularly on campus. Please do your part to protect our community by getting a flu shot soon. Many primary care offices have organized drive-by clinics, and most pharmacies are offering the immunizations as well. VaccineFinder can help you locate the nearest source.

All individuals will be required to complete a temperature check and COVID-19 questionnaire prior to coming to the OES campus. Please fill out the division-specific health screening form below:

Pre-K Student Health Screening Form

Lower School Student Health Screening Form

Middle School Student Health Screening Form

Upper School Student Health Screening Form

• Health and Safety
  • Social-emotional & physical well being
• Optimized Learning
  • Rigorous training and a variety of modes, tools, and approaches
• Community and Responsibility
  • Relationship building, community connection, and support
• Inclusion and Access
  • Equity of access, support, and experience

We use this map from the Oregon Health Authority to monitor the Current Risk Level by county.

We use this chart to review the Oregon Department of Education’s Advisory Metrics for Returning to In-Person Instruction.

We are partnering closely with local public health officials and they will provide support and direction for managing COVID-19 related scenarios that might impact our school community. You can view COVID-19 cases in the OES community on our COVID-19 Dashboard here.

If you or your student is exposed to someone on campus who has tested positive for, or who has been designated as a presumptive case of COVID-19, you will receive an email and follow-up call with instructions for what actions to take. The daily health screenings we are requiring, as well as our tracking of cohort groups, will enable us to conduct contact tracing. To protect individuals’ personal health information, we will not release the identity of the positive or presumptive case. 

Several people have asked questions about having playdates with children outside of your child's cohort, and whether this is a violation of our Community Agreements. As long as everyone follows standard COVID-transmission prevention protocols, it is not. We recognize that families have social and recreational needs beyond their child's OES cohorts. To protect everyone - including your child's cohort - we ask that everyone wears a mask and maintains distance anytime you are in the presence of people outside of your household, and we strongly encourage everyone to socialize and recreate outdoors to reduce the risk of spreading the virus.

The CDC and Oregon Health Authority recommend that individuals avoid non-essential travel. If your student does travel, they will be required to follow our requirement for post travel quarantine.

We ask that all students and their families adhere to our Aardvark Community Agreements and that everyone avoid high risk activities outside of school in order to prevent the spread of COVID-19. We encourage all families and employees to follow the Sector Risk-Level Guidance laid out by the state of Oregon for all social and recreational activities.

• The guidance from the state of Oregon recommends that, while the metro-area counties fall in the high risk categories, (our level as of 4-19-21) each household should limit social indoor gathering sizes to 2 households with a maximum of 6 people total. Outdoor gatherings, with all individuals masked and distanced, have a recommended limit of 8 people. (Please refer to current risk levels by county here.)
• Please limit household contacts. This is an important factor in reducing the spread of COVID-19, and having your student(s) in school on campus creates a large pool of contacts for your family. Please accept the responsibility you have chosen by sending your student(s) to school during the pandemic, and commit to the following:
  • Maintain a consistent and limited “bubble” of people for your household.
  • Understand that you and your family may engage with a broader range of people when you are outside, socially distanced,  and wearing a mask.
  • Commit to always wear a mask and maintain physical distance from people outside your household bubble.

Yes, limited athletics are being offered. Updated sports schedules are available here. All OES health and safety guidelines must be followed by student-athletes and coaches.

K-12 school sports are still under the OHA’s “Sector Guidance – Indoor Recreation and Indoor Fitness Establishments,” “Sector Guidance – Outdoor Recreation and Outdoor Fitness Establishments,” and “Sector Risk Level Guidance Chart.” 

Music opportunities are an important part of students’ education at OES. Because COVID-19 is an airborne virus that easily spreads through singing and playing wind and brass instruments, we have had to make significant adjustments to these offerings this year. We are adhering to all requirements laid out by the Oregon Department of Education. Students playing wind and brass instruments are required to use bell covers on their instruments, vocalists are required to wear masks, and all singing and instrument playing takes place either outdoors or in designated well-ventilated areas with students spaced six or more feet apart.

OES will not offer regular Extension during the 2020-21 school year due to the complications of maintaining stable cohorts. We are offering a number of online private music lessons and more and hope to offer other remote Extension opportunities in the future and as staffing allows. Stay tuned for more information.