March 12, 2020
Dear Nyssa School District community,
In light of Governor Kate Brown’s announcement that all large gatherings be limited for the next four weeks, we feel it necessary to give clarification for the Nyssa School District.
First, the Malheur County spelling bee was held this morning at Nyssa Elementary School. We made the decision to go forward with this competition because we were able to limit the number of people gathering in one area to less than the recommended 250 people. We don’t want to push the line on this guidance, recognizing that it was given with the best intent to protect the health of the public. However, we did feel that we were complying with both the guidance of Governor Brown and that of all the public health agencies that have given us guidance in the past weeks and days in going forward with the spelling bee.
Second, Governor Brown indicated in her guidance last night that schools should remain open, but to limit other activities. We are awaiting further guidance from the Governor’s office this morning regarding ongoing activities sponsored by the school, including sports and other competitions, and will issue that guidance for our school district operations as soon as we have time to process and plan. This guidance is expected before end of school today.
Thank you for your understanding and patience as we work to make the best decisions in the interest of our students and the overall public health.
Darren Johnson, Superintendent
Ryan Hawkins, Director of District Operations