Schools, Colleges, Public Health Meet To Discuss Unified Efforts
Klamath County School District, Klamath Falls City Schools, Oregon Institute of Technology (Oregon Tech) and Klamath Community College leaders met with Klamath County Public Health Tuesday to assess the developing COVID-19 situation, as part of their unified commitment to ensure high school and college students have continued access to education.
Those at the meeting included Jennifer Little, director of Klamath County Public Health; Roberto Gutierrez, president of Klamath Community College; Nagi Naganathan, president of Oregon Tech; Glen Szymoniak, superintendent of the Klamath County School District; and Paul Hillyer, superintendent of Klamath Falls City Schools.
“We are all working together for the benefit of the community,” said Glen Szymoniak, superintendent of Klamath County School District.
The leaders discussed how best to continue serving students, including the possibility of syncing their web-based learning platforms. They also reviewed how to address services that schools provide beyond education, such as mental health services.
“We can accomplish a great deal more together than we can in isolation,” said Klamath Falls City Schools Superintendent Paul Hillyer. “These meetings are very helpful to all of us as we work together to deliver quality education to our respective student populations.”
Nagi Naganathan, president of Oregon Tech, said, “The rapid response needed to combat COVID-19 will be more effective by sharing information and collaborating across our education sector. We are all committed to stopping the spread of the disease in collective support of our Klamath County students.”
The group also scheduled future meetings to respond to state directives amid the frequently changing novel coronavirus COVID-19 situation.
“Ensuring our institutions maintain an ongoing, coordinated response is what will allow us to continue best serving our students and our community. When our students are successful, we are all successful. We are working together for the long-term success of all,” said KCC President Roberto Gutierrez.
Statewide, public K-12 schools are closed through April 28. Both Oregon Tech and Klamath Community College courses will start on April 6. All spring term coursework at the higher education institutions is only being offered by remote delivery to ensure the health and safety of their students and campus communities.