Activist teacher Chris Riser is back at Ockley Green Middle School today, teaching class to sixth graders. Riser was put on leave by Portland Public Schools (PPS) in March because of his involvement in a February student protest commemorating the anniversary of 17-year-old Quanice Hayes’s death at the hands of police. Students and community members protested against PPS in early April, demanding Riser’s reinstatement.
Jodi Barasa, who helped organize the protests to reinstate Chris Riser, says “I’m glad that PPS finally decided to listen to the community. This doesn’t end the fight with them, however. They have a lot of work to do for our teachers and students.”
Principal Paula McCullough sent an email on April 6 to the Ockley Green community stating that Riser would be back on Monday “to resume his full-time duties in the classroom.” Parents on the community’s Facebook page celebrated the announcement with a photo of Riser greeting students in the hallways of Ockley Green.
The district has not released any new information about the outcome of the investigation. Public Information Officer Dave Northfield wrote in an email, “The District has no further comment past what went out last Monday. It is still a confidential personnel matter.”
Riser himself has also kept mum about the matter—he was expected to appear at a march for MLK last week, but did not appear.