Heat, cellphones, absenteeism: An in-depth look at a few of the big issues facing Oregon, Southwest Washington schools this year

Last school year was a doozy.

Schools across Oregon and Southwest Washington kicked off last fall with several teacher strikes — and near misses — including the historic, nearly month-long strike in Portland Public Schools in November.

In the winter, severe ice storms caused significant, and in some cases irrevocable, damage to school buildings, leading to days of lost instructional time. For some schools, repairs have yet to be completed months later.

By spring, students marched out of classes to join Gaza-related protests on K-12 and college campuses across the region. Around the same time, district leaders in Oregon and Washington faced budget deficits in the millions, leading to significant staff layoffs for some.

The summer provided some reprieve and possibly even a bit of hope as districts used the $30 million investment for summer learning provided by the Oregon Legislature.

Now, students and staff are back. While the year may be new, some of the challenges seen in the past still linger.

This week, schools are dealing with extreme weather conditions — though on the opposite end of the spectrum from January’s ice storms — as temperatures are expected to rise, yet again, into the triple digits. Many districts are on high alert for fire conditions, and some schools without air conditioning are struggling to keep classrooms comfortable.

Educators are still grappling with rising chronic absenteeism rates, prompting state officials to renew a statewide push for attendance awareness as a result. And with school staff and parents pressing for more money for public schools, Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek has proposed revamping the state’s education funding model heading into the 2025 legislative session.

Work is ongoing to improve literacy rates among Oregon’s youngest students and to catch up from learning losses and behavioral issues out of COVID; meanwhile, a strike seems to have been avoided in Southwest Washington.

Nationally, voters are tracking key education topics in the November Presidential election. And a deadly shooting at Apalachee High School in Georgia this week has served as another horrific reminder that schools must watch out for the safety of students and staff in an era of gun violence and school shootings.

And perhaps the most talked-about issue in recent weeks across the country and among local community members is cellphones, cellphones, cellphones.

Here’s a deeper look into a handful of these topics.

Schools brace for extreme weather

Several districts announced closures this week due to expected high temperatures, air quality concerns or fire dangers.

The Colton School District, for example, released students early on Thursday because of the forecast, saying the PreK-12 classroom spaces do not have adequate air conditioning in extreme heat.

“The district is responsible for ensuring safe and productive learning environments for all students and will release school early in the best interest of the safety of students and staff,” Colton officials wrote in a news release.

In a letter to students, staff and family in Portland Public Schools on Wednesday, officials said they are employing several strategies to keep buildings safe and cool before having to cancel or shorten school days. These include opening windows, circulating air overnight, distributing fans, and, when necessary, moving students into the coolest spots in the building.

“We understand that heat does not impact everyone equally and families will make the best decisions that meet their students’ needs,” Jon Franco, chief of schools, and Dan Jung, chief of operations for PPS, wrote. “Our teams will work hard to support all of our students, especially our most vulnerable.”

While classes continued with the normal schedule on Thursday, after-school activities in non-air-conditioned PPS buildings were canceled. These include child care, PPS-sponsored activities and third-party programs. Athletics in Portland and other districts follow OSAA guidelines for practices and activities.

Medical experts recommend staying hydrated, staying out of the sun and limiting physical activity during the hottest parts of the day. Climate change experts say dangerously high heat has become increasingly common; many schools are unprepared.

More restrictions on student cellphone use

As she explained her grading policy and standards for the school year on Wednesday, David Douglas High School English teacher Tracy Apple also drew a hard line on cellphones.

“The phone goes away and never comes back out,” Apple said, standing next to a sign that says: “PHONES OFF!!!”

“Am I clear? No phones, absolutely none,” she said. “They need to go away, and if I’m talking or somebody else is talking in class, [and you’re on the phone], that is the most disrespectful thing you can do.”

Cellphones are by no means new — nor are school and district policies to limit their use. But it seems the most talked about topic heading into the school year is what to do about students and their devices.

Last year, Florida became the first state to ban public school students from using cellphones in class, as reported by USA TODAY. Several more states this year have either passed similar legislation — or considered it. Oregon Gov. Kotek says she would support a statewide approach.

The conversation largely blew up this year after the publication of “The Anxious Generation: How the Great Rewiring of Childhood is Causing an Epidemic of Mental Illness” by Jonathan Haidt. Policymakers across the country have cited it as their reason for acting now.

In the book, Haidt talks about the decline of the “play-based childhood” that was replaced with the rise of “the phone-based childhood.”

Portland Public Schools leaders have discussed their goals to reduce cyberbullying and other problematic behaviors in classrooms, hallways and at lunch by further restricting cellphone use. They also think removing phones will limit distractions in class and give students’ developing brains a much-needed respite for several hours.

Students at Grant High School, which is piloting the use of Yondr pouches to lock phones away for the full school day, have had mixed opinions on the restrictions. School board members are working on a districtwide policy this fall that they hope to implement in the new calendar year.

An hour south on I-5, North Salem High School in Salem-Keizer Public Schools is one of many individual schools across the state that have issued a stricter phone policy this year. Theirs requires students to have their phones “off and away” during class.

Rich Peterson, a business teacher at North Salem High, said he’s looking forward to this year because of the policy. He said he hopes we’re “far enough away from the COVID years” now the kids will connect and collaborate more.

He predicts if the school is consistent with the new policy, he believes “it’ll definitely create a better learning environment for the kids.”

Kids can only learn if they show up

Oregon’s most recent annual report card shows more than a third of students statewide were chronically absent in 2022-23, meaning they missed about 17 days or more that year.

That includes excused, unexcused and discipline-related absences. The ones missing the most classes were students who have disabilities, are experiencing homelessness or identify as nonbinary.

In the four years since COVID-19 closed schools, U.S. education has struggled to recover on several fronts, including learning loss, enrollment and student behavior.

But perhaps the most stubborn and pervasive issue has been the sharp increase in student absenteeism seen across the country. Earlier this year, a New York Times analysis found attendance problems cut across demographic groups and have continued long after schools reopened from COVID closures.

In most Oregon districts, students missed school more often than the national average last year, though nearly 20 districts matched the national average, and some saw improvements.

North Salem High School Principal Dustin Purnell has noticed a significant drop in attendance over the last couple of years. He said the solution is to build a sense of community with students and families so students want to be at school.

“[We’re trying to] create an atmosphere where our students want to be here and are proud to be here,” he said. “It’s really challenging to do well in school, especially if we’re not here.”

Other districts have had successes, such as the Gladstone School District near Oregon City, which has used grant money and private donations to bolster a districtwide “Gladstone Shows Up” attendance awareness campaign. Officials said Gladstone has a higher overall attendance rate than the state average, as well as a higher rate for students experiencing homelessness.

State leaders, including Oregon Department of Education Director Charlene Williams, are drawing attention to this issue by making September Attendance Awareness Month.

Educators are pushing the message at the start of a new year in the hope of setting expectations for a successful year.

“I love the beginning of the year because there are so many things going on,” Purnell said, giving a shoutout to people and programs in his high school especially. “There’s so many different opportunities for students to thrive.”

OPB reporter Elizabeth Miller contributed to this story.