Several Portland Schools Closing and Going Back to Distance Learning

School is closed for some Portland high schoolers and elementary school students today, because of the new wave of COVID-19 cases. 

Portland Public Schools says Cleveland and McDaniel High Schools are the hardest hit with COVID-19 related absences for students and staff.  They’re closed today, and going to remote learning from Monday through Friday, next week.

The school system says this comes after 431 school staff called out, and they couldn’t get substitutes for 175.  

Parkrose School District announced Prescott Elementary School in Northeast Portland would also close today, due to “Excessive staff and student absences and not enough substitutes available.”

 According to the Portland Public School system’s dashboard, 740 students and 164 staff members are now isolated due to COVID exposure, mostly not related to schools though. 

 P.P.S. this week also began offering COVID-19 tests at its district office to asymptomatic teachers who think they were exposed to the virus.