School Board Cancels Meeting
A planned meeting to give parents a chance to voice their concerns on the upcoming school year has been postponed. In a press release sent out yesterday by the Siuslaw School board assured parents the opportunity at a later date. The forum was open, but outcry from the public on social media suggested that much of the concern to be voiced was the mandating of masks. Some are calling for parents to pull their children from school until heard. Parents were given the option to send comments through email with a promise to read and review all public commentary submitted by parents. But in one email returned to the school, Jennifer Waggoner wrote “What a slap in the face to parents. This is unacceptable. You are elected to represent us and you wont even meet with us.” She went on her social media page and said it wasn’t about what side of any issue an individual was on, it was about being able to be heard and to face the board directly. In the press release from the school it reiterated that while the board believes in the concept of local control it is bound to adhere to the laws of the state. the district could face heavy fines if it does not submit to state, specifically on the issue of mask wearing.
School Moving Forward
While COVID-19 protocols have affected the beginning of the football season for Mapleton, School Superintendent, Jodi O’mara says it will not affect the beginning of school. School is still slated to begin on September 8th for 1st through 12th grade and preschool and kindergarten will begin on September 12th. Siuslaw School District will have student orientation for students entering 6th and 9th grades on Tuesday September 7th with the first day of classes to begin on Wednesday September 8th and kindergarten to begin on September 9th.
Weekend Totals For COVID-19 (update)
COVID-19 cases for the Florence area continue to increase. This morning Lane County Public Health published another 7 cases for the area. Emergency Director for Peace Harbor Hospital, Dr. Willie Foster says they are still seeing patients on a regular basis that have positive COVID-19 tests. While there are still reported breakthrough cases to individuals that have been vaccinated, Dr. Brenda Ormesher says about 95% of COVID-19 cases in Riverbend are unvaccinated. The weekend totals for COVID-19 came in last evening with 5,545 new cases being reported since Friday’s report. Hospitalizations decreased by 23, but the OHA is reporting 40 new deaths. Lane County reported 529 cases for the same period. It also reported 3 new deaths. South of Florence in Douglas County there were 10 deaths reported. 3 more cases for the Florence area were added yesterday bringing the total since the beginning of the pandemic to 475. The OHA is reporting that vaccinations continue to increase and the average daily rate is now at 8,455.
Man Rescued From Remote Dune Area
Authorities say a 54-year-old man was rescued from the Oregon Dunes National Recreation Area after being stranded for five days. KOIN reports the Coos County Sheriff’s Office said hikers found the stranded and injured man on the John Dellenback trail. He had fallen off a dune and had back and neck injuries. He was also dehydrated. The U.S. Coast Guard had to be called in to assist in his rescue because the area was not accessible by ATV or UTVs. The man was airlifted and taken to a hospital.
