Going against Oregon Health Authority rules, the Alsea School District is no longer enforcing masks in any school setting, except for when riding on a bus.
The Corvallis Gazette Times reports that in response, the Oregon Department of Education is withholding elementary and secondary school education relief funds until the district—located in rural southwest Benton County—comes back into compliance with the regulations.
Alsea’s new guidance went into effect Monday, but because of a recent surge in positive cases, the district closed that day and won’t reopen until at least next Monday, Jan. 31. This Friday, Jan. 28, was already an off day for the district, which generally follows a four-day schedule.
In a letter to families posted on the district’s website, Superintendent Marc Thielman said the situation was “improving rapidly” but that the extra time off was needed “to give all our staff time to fully recover and hit the ground running on Monday.”