🐐 TriMet goats merch

Back to School

Summer nears its end, and most Portland-area students will be heading back to school next week. We've rounded up a handful of recent education news to check in on our schools — here's what's happening at our local campuses right now.

• Senior leadership: Portland Public Schools Superintendent Kimberlee Armstrong lost two administrators from her leadership cabinet last week. District staff confirmed Chief Legal Officer Sharon Toncray and Chief Accountability and Equity Officer Renard Adams will not be continuing in the upcoming school year due to family reasons. They are among the first senior leaders to leave Armstrong's team since she took office, and are departing amid budget cuts across the district. [Oregonian]
• Protest backlash: Two former Central Catholic High School employees, Wesley Guy and Anthony Gray, allege they were recently laid off because of their involvement in student protests at the school last spring. Both Guy and Gray were advisers to the school's Black Student Union, which organized protests against how the school handled a racist incident involving the baseball team. [Oregonian]
• Lawsuit: Allison Roberts, a mother of two Meriwether Lewis Elementary students, is suing Portland Public Schools and two officials for barring her from the school for a year after an intense exchange with another parent on campus grounds, according to the lawsuit. Roberts says she was allegedly banned for criticizing the elementary school's gender identity lessons and the "Intersex-Inclusive" symbols painted on school benches. [Oregonian]
• Attendance improves: A recent report shows 7,000 more K-12 students across Oregon attended classes regularly this past school year. This raises the state’s regular attendance rate to 64.5%, which is still below the national average of 78%. [Oregon Journalism Project]

Summer Dining Destinations

Summer coming to a close doesn't just mean students going back to school. It's also an excuse to book a last-minute reservation at bars and restaurants across town with the best views. Eater Portland has you covered with their recently released list of top scenic dining spots in Portland. I'll start with a personal favorite: Tope, on the rooftop of the Hoxton Hotel in downtown. [Eater Portland]

TriMet Goats Go National

Last week, a couple of goats went viral in Portland for escaping their fenced-in yard and hopping on a TriMet bus before making their way back home safely. Since then, the incident has been featured on multiple national news outlets, and the owner has come out to explain what happened — he didn't know they had escaped until a friend recognized the goats and sent him the viral video. TriMet capitalized on the opportunity to make some goat merch I've been highly considering ordering. [Oregonian]

Saving the Pacific Sunflower Star

Today on City Cast Portland, we're talking about what happened when our state's human resources director violated their own policies, and how a Northwest tribe and local researchers are working to bring a sea star species back from the brink of extinction. Plus, we're picking the top local events you need to check out before the end of summer. [City Cast Portland 🎧]