BSD Families,

Thank you for your patience as we navigate how our students will be returning to school in the fall. Based on recommendations and requirements from the Oregon Department of Education and Oregon Health Authority, we’re in the process of developing a comprehensive plan that addresses a variety of issues: how to protect students and staff from the spread of COVID-19, how to safely distance students during school and while being transported by bus, and how to ensure students continue to make progress on their academic goals.

While the plan hasn’t been finalized, we want to share the overall framework with you, as your family will have a choice to make in the coming month.

As we approach the next school year, your student will have two possible paths within the District:

1) Attend your regular BSD school Given the health protocols mandated by the state, it won’t be possible for all of our students to return to school at the same time. We simply can’t guarantee the 35 square feet per child, as required. So we’re looking to implement a hybrid model. Under this scenario, student groups — called attendance groups or cohorts — will attend in-person classes at school using staggered schedules. For example, half of the students may attend one day, while the other half may participate in remote online learning from home. Then the cohorts would switch. The exact schedules will vary based on the different grade levels: elementary, middle school and high school.

Despite our best efforts to ensure safety, we recognize that there may be parents who are not comfortable sending their children back to a physical school. We also understand that some students who may be enrolled in specialized programs, who may be classified as medically fragile/high risk, or who may have a COVID-19 diagnosis will need a temporary alternative to the hybrid model. We’re currently working on developing online learning solutions for these cases.

2) Enroll in the new FLEX Online School through BSD

On this path, students will continue to be enrolled in the District, but they’ll be enrolled in a fully virtual K-12 school called FLEX Online. This option is a permanent school; if students need to switch to their regular BSD schools, they’ll be asked to do so at the end of a semester. BSD teachers will instruct using a curriculum specifically designed for online learning. (For a student eligible for Special Education services and/or a 504 accommodation plan, an IEP or 504 meeting may be required to determine whether or not your child’s IEP or 504 can be implemented through a fully online model and/or if IEP or 504 amendments are needed as a result of the student’s full-time enrollment in FLEX Online.)

To enroll in FLEX Online, you must complete an application between July 1-24, 2020. The short timeline is necessary to allow us time to arrange for the appropriate level of staffing. For more information on the school and application process, click here: https://flex.beaverton.k12.or.us/

We invite you to share your feedback and ask questions regarding both the return-to-school plan and the new FLEX Online School. Please join us for one of the following Q&A sessions:

Monday, July 13

2:00 p.m. Return-to-School Plan

7:00 p.m. Flex Online only

Tuesday, July 14

2:00 p.m. Flex Online only

7:00 p.m. Return-to-School Plan

Wednesday, July 15

(Spanish only)

2:00 p.m. Flex Online only

7:00 p.m. Return-to-School Plan

Join us here: https://www.youtube.com/BeavertonSchools