Dear Helix Parents, Staff, Students, and Community,
Please understand that Covid-19 has changed the landscape of our world dramatically and continues to change daily. Helix School District is committed to providing your student with a great educational experience and will do this in the safest possible manner that will help all our children grow through these challenging times. The Oregon Health Authority and Oregon Department of Education have implemented a K-12 mask mandate for face coverings for all staff and students during the instructional day. Helix School District will refrain from implementing consequences that deny access to instruction and will continually provide instruction and positive reinforcement to support all students. Punitive measures will not be used to remind, motivate, and reinforce healthy practices.
In addition, the Oregon School Athletic Association has stated that contests for the 2021/22 sports season will return to the traditional sports seasons with fall sports beginning August 16th. Student athletes will be required to have a physical before participation. At this time mask mandates do not apply to after school activities and sports competitions.
We are welcoming our kindergartners next Monday, August 9th with our half-day JumpStart program from 7:45 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. To help our students transition, Ms. Torrence and I will encourage our kindergartners and their families to support the mask mandate as we start our JumpStart program next Monday. OHA and ODE will begin officially enforcing the mask mandate on Thursday, August 12th. If a student doesn’t have a mask that properly covers their nose and mouth, a mask will be made available at the start of the school day.
I am working with area superintendents to request the Governor return decisions to local control. The Helix School District will implement a mask-optional plan when it is allowed by the state and local health authority. Thank you again for your patience with us as we navigate through these very challenging times and as rules and regulations change I will send out updates.
If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to call me at 541-457-2175, ext. 3757 or email me at brad.bixler@helix.k12.or.us
Brad Bixler, Helix Superintendent