Dear Hillsboro Families,
I would like to begin by sincerely thanking our families and district community for their patience, support, and encouragement during the COVID-19 pandemic. Serving students and keeping them, their families, and our staff safe remains at the center of our mission. We know that there are many questions and concerns as we approach our first day of school on September 1 (link to full calendar here).
Please know that the district has been working steadily since our building closure in March to address all these concerns. We created our district ReStart committee with stakeholders from all areas - parents, students, staff, and administrators - to build a framework for returning to school. Our Restart plan is available here, and on our website.
I wanted to provide you with our final decision right away. I know that some of the information we provide in our ReStart plan will lead to more questions about what this means for your child(ren). The district will continue to engage with families and staff as we move forward, and will continue to provide the most current information we have. I also want families to know that while this ReStart plan was developed based on the survey feedback we have received and the local and state health department guidance we have received, I understand that not everyone the district serves will be happy with our plan. However, please know that every decision has been made with the health (physical and mental) and safety of our district community in mind.
I know some families may not wish to return to in-person classrooms in the fall, and I want to remind families that virtual options will be available to all children if they choose. We will be sending out a survey today asking families to identify whether or not they believe, with the set of mitigations we have in place, that their child(ren) will be choosing a virtual or in-person model starting September 1. We will try to provide flexibility to families that may wish to change their plan once school has started, but in order to plan effectively, we need initial numbers regarding in-person and virtual enrollments.
With the mission to protect the health and safety of students, families, staff, and the community at the forefront of all decisions, Hillsboro School District will continue to monitor public health conditions in our area, and we want to remind families that our proposal to start in person may change prior to September 1.
Finally, I would like to emphasize the importance of us working together to achieve positive outcomes for our children, and thank every family for their commitment to working with the district as we navigate starting school in 2020-2021.
Sincerely,
Curt Bisarek
Superintendent