PAT Notice to Strike Nov 1 (6-12)

Dear students,

Tonight, we received a notice from the Portland Association of Teachers, the union representing your teachers, that they intend to strike beginning November 1. We emailed your families on Wednesday to share this link to our contingency plans, but we want to share directly with you. If you are interested in learning more about the bargaining process, you can visit our site.

The key thing to know is that, if teachers strike, Portland Public Schools will close all schools. That will mean no in-person class or online instruction, although we have provided limited resources to support learning.

We will also provide grab and go meals for free for all kids, ages 1-18, during the strike, although we are still finalizing pick-up locations and times. Detailed information including locations and pick up times will be available on our site when the plans are confirmed.

For students who are currently seeing a school-based mental health provider, services will be offered either in person at the agency clinic or virtually. For more information connect with your student health center or visit the Multnomah County School-Based Mental Health website. Student Health Centers at Benson, Cleveland, Franklin, Jefferson, McDaniel, and Roosevelt will remain operational during the strike.

For our high school seniors applying to college, staff will be available via email, phone, and virtually to support you during the strike.

Fall varsity sports will continue as scheduled, but all other programs (freshman, JV, JV2, and middle school) will be put on pause during the strike. All other student activities (e.g.theater, music, clubs) will also be canceled.

Please ask any questions and we will do our best to respond as promptly as possible. Future updates will be sent through email and we encourage you to check the contingency website for more detailed information.

Best,

Jonathan Garcia

Chief of Staff