Mendoza

LA GRANDE — Classes in the La Grande School District are beginning to take field trips again for the first time since March 2020 because of its falling COVID-19 infection rate.

The rate has fallen to the point that the school district can begin operating in a slightly less restrictive environment under the rules of its 2021 Communicable Disease plan, according to La Grande School District Superintendent George Mendoza.

“We are moving slowly into the moderate risk category. We will be opening up a little more,” he said.

This means some classes can take field trips if strict COVID-19 safety rules are followed. Precautions that must be followed will include social distancing, the wearing of masks and staying within assigned cohorts.

Mendoza said that none of the field trips being permitted will involve a one-way drive of more than 45 minutes.

The move into the moderate risk category will also allow the school district to offer more after-school activities for students and to conduct intramural boys and girls basketball for fourth and fifth graders and to make child care services available.

“This will help us be more interactive. We want to provide students with as normal of an experience as possible,” Mendoza said.

He stressed though that unless everyone in the school district remains vigilant about following COVID-19 safety rules, the school district could again fall into a higher risk category. He said this would reduce opportunities for in-person instruction.

“We do not want to shut down our schools,” Mendoza said.

The superintendent also said that he is encouraging the state to take steps to make COVID-19 safety protocols less restrictive. Mendoza said he is pushing the state to reduce the number of days students must be in quarantine after a close contact with someone believed to be COVID-19 positive from 14 to 10 days. Mendoza said he wants the required days of quarantine for students to be reduced because some students do not handle being in quarantine well. When in quarantine students are able to complete school work.

“It is hard for some students to learn when they are isolated,” he said.