MONDAY 8/18
5:15 AM
AirNow AQI: 89 (Moderate) PurpleAir sensor at Jefferson Elementary: 97 (Moderate) Forecast: smoke from fires SW of district drifting NE through midweek. Possible increase to USG range by Wednesday.
Per district AQ protocol, no action required at Moderate. Normal operations.
Seven parent emails over the weekend asking about smoke plan. Forwarded principals the protocol document from shared drive, Emergency Procedures folder. Asked facilities to verify HVAC filter status at all sites. Flagged east-side elementaries — Jefferson, Rimrock, Desert View — older systems, no MERV-13 upgrades.
Haze visible from district office parking lot at 7 AM. Faint. Smells like campfire if you stand outside for a minute.
No further action.
TUESDAY 8/19
5:05 AM
AirNow AQI: 112 (Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups) PurpleAir at Jefferson: 131 (USG) Forecast: continued increase through Thursday. Possible Red by late week.
Crossed into Orange. Per protocol at USG (101–150): close doors and windows, provide indoor and outdoor options for lunch and recess, sensitive individuals avoid vigorous outdoor activity. Students with air quality restriction on health care plan kept inside for PE.
Implemented USG protocol at all sites as of 7:30 AM. Sent principals specific language for parent inquiries.
14 parent emails. Three requesting individual indoor accommodation for students with asthma. Forwarded to site nurses for health care plan verification. PE department asking about outdoor vs. indoor modified activity. Told them outdoor OK with reduced intensity, no sustained running, monitor for symptoms.
Athletics: OSAA threshold is AQI 150 for cancellation of outdoor activities. Below it on both readings. Afternoon practices proceeding. Reminded coaches to check AQI at practice start and again at one hour.
Facilities report: east-side buildings pulling outside air as designed. No MERV-13 filters. Maintenance says reconfiguring to recirculate-only requires manual override at each air handler. Started at Jefferson this afternoon. Rimrock and Desert View tomorrow.
County health posted general air quality advisory on website. No school-specific guidance.
WEDNESDAY 8/20
4:50 AM
AirNow AQI: 148 (Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups) PurpleAir at Jefferson: 166 (Unhealthy)
AirNow has us at 148. PurpleAir has us at 166. These are different categories.
Per protocol at Red (151–200): sensitive students remain indoors, all others avoid vigorous outdoor activity. District should consider canceling outdoor after-school activities. Per OSAA: outdoor activities canceled above 150.
AirNow says 148. PurpleAir says 166.
Decision: moved to Red protocol at all sites. All outdoor recess, PE, and lunch held indoors. After-school athletics canceled. Used PurpleAir reading as basis. Protocol allows administrator discretion based on AQI readings and visual observations of smoke levels immediately outside the school.
Visual observation at 6:45 AM: sky is brown. Sun is orange. Haze at ground level in the parking lot.
31 parent emails overnight. Half asking why school is still open. Several asking why athletics canceled when AirNow shows 148. One from a parent who is also a board member asking for my decision framework in writing. Sent her the protocol document.
PE teachers' union rep called at 7:15. Teachers with outdoor duties asking about respirator provision. Per OR-OSHA wildfire smoke standards, employer must provide N95s for voluntary use when AQI exceeds 150 for outdoor workers. Confirmed with HR we have N95 supply from COVID stock. Distributed to all sites for outdoor staff. This is for staff. N95s are not manufactured in sizes that seal on children's faces.
Indoor lunch at all sites. Jefferson cafeteria seats 210. Enrollment is 340. Running two lunch shifts starting today. Rimrock same situation. Desert View has the multipurpose room so they can manage single shift. Principals handling scheduling. Takes about an hour of admin time per building to reorganize.
Facilities: Jefferson reconfigured yesterday. Rimrock done this morning. Desert View this afternoon. Recirculate-only means no outside air, which means CO2 builds in classrooms by afternoon. Maintenance recommends brief door-opening ventilation every 90 minutes. Opening doors introduces smoke. Sent guidance to principals.
District office email at 8:30 AM: "Continue to monitor conditions and follow established protocols. District is in communication with county health and will provide updated guidance as warranted."
Called county health at 9 AM. Voicemail. Left message asking for school-specific guidance given forecast shows continued deterioration through Friday.
No callback by end of day.
THURSDAY 8/21
4:35 AM
AirNow AQI: 189 (Unhealthy) PurpleAir at Jefferson: 214 (Very Unhealthy)
AirNow says Red. PurpleAir says Purple.
At 201+ protocol says Shelter-in-Place. Students and staff move freely inside buildings, teaching continues, all outdoor activity canceled. Shelter-in-Place is the last level in the protocol. There is no established AQI number that triggers school closure. District relies on county health to recommend closure.
County health has not recommended closure.
47 parent emails. 12 voicemails before 6 AM. Stopped reading emails in full. Scanning subject lines. Two principals called before 5:30. Eastman asked if she should plan for closure tomorrow. Told her I don't have that authority. She asked what I thought. I told her I'd let her know.
Attendance at Jefferson: 74%. Rimrock: 79%. Desert View: 81%. District average across all sites: 83%. Normal is 94%.
Third consecutive day of indoor lunch. Jefferson running three shifts now. First lunch at 10:45. Principals reporting kids restless. No outdoor time since Tuesday.
Ridgeview principal reported teachers complaining of headaches and smoke smell inside classrooms. These are the newer buildings with MERV-13. If smoke is getting through MERV-13 the particulate load is worse than readings suggest or filters need replacement. Asked facilities to check. They are at capacity with east-side work.
Union filed formal inquiry re: indoor air quality at Jefferson, Rimrock, Desert View. Cited OR-OSHA workplace safety standards. HR handling.
Called county health at 6:30. Voicemail again. I don't know what they're Called county health at 6:30 AM. Voicemail. Left second message.
Superintendent confirmed at 7 AM: we follow county health guidance. County health has not recommended closure. Schools open.
Sent parent communication: "The district is in close contact with county health officials and continues to monitor air quality conditions. Shelter-in-Place protocols are in effect at all sites. Students are supervised indoors with continued instruction. The district will communicate any changes immediately."
Bus drivers asked whether routes run tomorrow. Told transportation yes.
Headache since about noon. Took ibuprofen. Office windows closed all week.
County health returned my call at 3:45 PM. Not the director. She said they are monitoring the situation and will issue updated guidance if conditions warrant. I asked what AQI level would trigger a closure recommendation. She said there is no specific number and that the decision involves multiple factors. I asked what factors. She said she would have the director call me back.
Haven't called Eastman back.
FRIDAY 8/22
4:15 AM
AirNow AQI: 226 (Very Unhealthy) PurpleAir at Jefferson: 248 (Very Unhealthy)
Both Purple. Both above 201. Shelter-in-Place already in effect. Protocol has no further action level.
County health has not recommended closure. Director has not called back.
My daughter asked last night why she still has to
Superintendent confirmed 6:10 AM. Schools open.
63 parent emails.
Buses running. Kids at the stops by 6:45.
Schools open.
Things to follow up on...
- No closure threshold exists: Multiple California and Oregon school districts explicitly state that no AQI number triggers school closure, deferring instead to county health departments that themselves have no binding numerical standard.
- Children can't wear respirators: Oregon Health Authority guidance confirms that N95 respirators are not manufactured in sizes that seal on children's faces, leaving kids at bus stops and during outdoor transitions unprotected even when staff have access to PPE.
- 33.5 million kids in failing air: The American Lung Association's 2026 State of the Air report found that 33.5 million children live in areas receiving a failing grade on at least one major air pollution measure, with wildfire smoke and ground-level ozone as primary drivers.
- Smoke days increasing eightfold: Oregon DEQ trend data shows that Medford went from averaging 1.5 days per year at Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups or worse before 2012 to 12.7 such days per year from 2013 to 2022, an increase that is rewriting what a normal school year looks like in fire-adjacent communities.