Oregon students deserve stability

Oregon guidelines for the 2020 fall semester have been remarkably inconsistent, causing confusion and mayhem for faculty, parents, and students alike. The Oregon Department of Education recently released new guidelines that allow students with special needs to have limited in-person instruction but with reduced hours and class size. This includes students with disabilities, English language learners, and those enrolled in career technical education (CTE) programs. But even these guidelines are dependent on the absence of Covid-19 cases among staff and students for two weeks.This doesn’t guarantee a stable learning environment for students that need stability the most. The guidelines also fail to explicitly address those affected by the decision to continue virtual learning in the fall. What happens to the student experiencing homelessness who has no access to a hotspot? What about the single mother who has to choose between keeping a job and staying at home with her child? It’s time to face the reality that Oregon’s public school system cannot guarantee a “one-size fits all” solution for students this fall. A money-back guarantee for K-12 education would go a long way in empowering parents to find the stability they need in uncertain times. Every parent and every child find themselves uniquely affected by the pandemic. They deserve unique solutions too. Let’s put the money in the hands of the parents, not the system. I’m Helen Doran, program assistant for external affairs at Cascade Policy Institute, Oregon’s free-market think tank.