Category Schools

Following Michigan school shooting, hoax threats in local schools on the rise
Salem schools have seen an uptick in hoax threats in December which district officials say are disrupting classes and increasing fear among students and employees. In recent weeks, the Salem-Keizer School District has recorded eight hoax threats against local schools, assistant superintendent Iton Udosenata said.…

Split school board adopts redistricting map with minor tweaks
Alternative 1, the new Salem-Keizer School Board zone map adopted on Dec. 14, 2021. A split Salem-Keizer School Board Tuesday night voted to adopt a redistricting map which makes minor adjustments to the current zones used in school board elections. In a 4-3 vote, board…

Salem-Keizer sues construction firm over fire damages at Waldo Middle School
Fire damage at Waldo Middle School following the April 29, 2020 fire (Courtesy/Crime Stoppers of Oregon) The Salem-Keizer School District is suing a construction contractor alleging that their failure to secure a construction site at Waldo Middle School allowed an arsonist to set fire to…

Salem-Keizer board set to vote on redistricting maps
The Salem-Keizer School Board on Tuesday is scheduled to vote on a new map determining which board director represents which part of the district. The decision between two proposed maps could cut short the term of the board’s vice chair, Ashley Carson Cottingham, who would…

Salem-Keizer pilots Covid surveillance testing at 8 elementary schools
A Covid-19 test swab is packaged up to be tested (Amanda Loman/Salem Reporter) Students at eight Salem elementary schools will have the option to be tested weekly for Covid starting after winter break. The free testing program is a pilot intended to monitor Covid spread…

S-K school board director, county commissioner considers removing children from district
School board director Danielle Bethell poses with a portrait drawn by a student at a Jan. 14, 2020 school board meeting (Rachel Alexander/Salem Reporter) Danielle Bethell, a parent of two Salem-Keizer students, took to Facebook on Nov. 23 to ask for help from her followers. …

School board weighs new zones to balance population
Current Salem-Keizer School Board zones, adopted in 2011. Some Salem residents will soon be represented by a new school board member as the board weighs changes to the maps used for board elections. At a Tuesday work session, the board will look at three possible…

Juan Fernandez wants to make sure every Sprague student feels welcome at school
Juan Fernandez, community school outreach coordinator at Sprague High School, stands outside of the school on Friday, Nov. 5, 2021. (Amanda Loman/Salem Reporter) When Juan Fernandez’s family moved to west Salem midway through school, the teen knew he wanted to stay enrolled at North Salem…

Time capsule opening recalls life at Leslie Junior High 50 years ago
Dale Blanchard, center, a Leslie Middle School seventh grade student in 1971, unloads a time capsule from 1971 that he and his classmates created at Leslie Middle School on Friday, Nov. 5, 2021. (Amanda Loman/Salem Reporter) It was easy to ignore the fading metal plaque…
