HERMISTON — Hermiston School District’s decision to begin the school year with distance-learning instructional classes only is due to Hermiston’s rise in COVID-19 cases, among other factors, according to Superintendent of Schools Dr. Tricia Mooney.

The Hermiston School District announced the decision on Thursday, July 23, following the guidance of the Oregon Department of Education and the Oregon Health Authority. Mooney said when the most recent rounds of guidance were released by the Department of Education, the district realized it needed to move to comprehensive distance learning.

What tipped the scale, according to Mooney, is the guidance stated that within the coming weeks a set of guideposts, protocols and public health indicators will help determine the best instructional model for a given ZIP code or county. Since COVID-19 rates in a given county will help inform school decisions regarding distance learning, Mooney said it was clear that Hermiston was not ready to move to face-to-face learning.

“That language in light of the fact that Umatilla County is a hot spot in Oregon, and Hermiston being the largest community in Umatilla County and having the most cases, we felt it is pretty clear that our model to begin school is to be comprehensive distant learning,” she said.

In June, state guidance issued three possible instruction methods — on-site, hybrid and distance learning — for the 2020-21 school year. Each school district will make its own decisions regarding which instruction methods to utilize, depending on the progression of COVID-19 and guidance released by the Department of Education.

“With heightened concern related to the COVID-19 virus and indoor gatherings, Hermiston School District will begin the year with a comprehensive distance learning model, with the intent of moving to a hybrid model when it is safe to return students to the classroom,” Mooney said.

Mooney stated it is the district’s goal to have students return to face-to-face instruction as soon as possible, if it can be done safely.

The board of education will meet as part of a public special session on Monday, July 27, to discuss what the distant-learning instruction will look like. Additional details will then be released in the coming weeks.

Gov. Kate Brown also announced on July 23 a draft guidance for early learning and child care programs, which will be applied statewide once it is finalized on Friday, Aug 14.

The draft includes protocols for daily health checks, group sizes, personal protective equipment for children and adults, daily activities, cleaning and response protocols for possible and confirmed COVID-19 cases.

The guidance is open for public comment through Sunday, July 26, prior to finalization.

“Much like K-12 schools, we know that our early childhood programs won’t look the same this fall. But, one thing is clear — we know that kids need safe, caring, quality environments while their parents are at work,” Brown said in a July 23 press release.