Signs at Richmond Elementary in southeast Portland require masks to enter the school. Portland Public Schools started the school year online because of COVID-19.
Elizabeth Miller / OPB
The school year is starting up for students across the state, and many districts are holding classes online. Koko Urban, an 8th grader at da Vinci Arts Middle School, is concerned with how school is working so far. Urban, who has a learning disability, says it is hard for her to get support she needs online. Erandi Jones-Vega, a high school senior at Portland Community College’s Gateway to College program, feels similarly. Jones-Vega, who also has a learning disability, recently transferred out of Central Catholic High School. She said she felt unsupported by the school for her disability and her recent Black Lives Matter activism. We hear from Urban and Jones-Vega about what school is like right now, and how they think it should be different.
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