February 16, 2022 Message From McDaniel | Parent Teacher Conferences and COVID-19 Update
OKCPS Families,
It’s hard to believe we are halfway through February. Please review the reminders below, as well as an update to our COVID-19 safety protocols.
First, please rest assured that District leaders are closely monitoring the weather for tomorrow. We encourage our staff and families to stay weather aware, including taking devices and learning materials home tonight. If it becomes necessary, District officials will keep you updated as needed through phone and text messages, social media and www.okcps.org.
Reminders
Parent Teacher Conferences this Thursday and Friday, February 17th and 18th. Families should contact their child’s school and/or teacher to schedule a time. Conferences will be held in-person, however, families can request a virtual conference as well.
OKCPS provides over the phone interpretation for families who speak a language other than English. Families can request this service when they schedule their conferences.
There will be no classes on Friday, February 18th and students do not need to report to school in-person OR log into Canvas. Curbside meal service will not be available on Friday, February 18th.
Monday, February 21st is a professional development day for our teachers and a non-instructional day for students. Students do not need to report to school in-person OR log into Canvas. Curbside meal service will be available at all school sites from 10:30am to 12:30pm. We encourage our families to pick up a meal at their child’s school on Monday, February 21st.
Spring Break is March 14th - 18th and all schools and offices will be closed. Additionally, Monday, March 21st is a professional development / work day for our teachers, so there are no classes for students.
Review the 2021-2022 calendar here: www.okcps.org/domain/925
COVID-19 Update
Beginning, Monday, February 21st, OKCPS will re-open our campuses to volunteers, visitors, families and media outlets. All other safety protocols will remain in place, which includes our mask requirement for anyone who is on a district campus or in a district vehicle.
Visitors - Families and other visitors should report to the front office of the school or office building and follow the appropriate check-in procedures.
Volunteers and Community Partners - Community Relations will resume processing volunteer background checks to allow volunteers to visit schools in-person. Volunteers must have a valid approved background check on file with OKCPS in order to be in our buildings and interact with students. Anyone wishing to sign up as a volunteer should visit: www.okcps.org/volunteers.
It’s very important for families and staff to monitor for symptoms and stay home when we aren’t feeling well. We also ask that our families and staff help us by continuing to report positive cases to their school or supervisor. This will allow us to look for “hot spots” or trends where cases are rising so we can quickly implement mitigation strategies.
COVID-19 Testing
Beginning Monday, February 21st, in addition to testing OKCPS students and staff, the district can now also test the household family members of both our students and staff.
Centralized Locations for Testing
- Taft Stadium (Taft Middle School), 2501 N May Ave, Oklahoma City, OK 73107
- 8:00 am - 2:00 pm
- Monday, Wednesday and Friday
- Moses Miller Stadium (Douglass High School), 914 N Martin Luther King Ave, Oklahoma City, OK 73117
- 8:00 am - 2:00 pm
- Monday, Wednesday and Friday
- Student Services at Westwood, 1701 Exchange Ave, Oklahoma City, OK 73108
- 1:00 pm - 4:00 pm
- Wednesday, Thursday and Friday
We encourage household family members of our staff and students to use our centralized locations for testing, however, to view a full list of our testing locations or to make an appointment, visit: www.okcps.org/Page/6807.
COVID-19 Vaccine Clinic
OKCPS has partnered with OCCHD to hold a vaccine clinic on Thursday, February 24th at Clara Luper Center for Educational Services (615 N. Classen) from 3:30pm - 6:30pm. OCCHD will have Moderna, Pfizer and J&J vaccines and can administer 1st, 2nd or 3rd (booster) doses. This clinic is open to students, their families and OKCPS staff. Please use this link to make an appointment. If appointment spots fill up, we will work with OCCHD to offer another clinic in the coming weeks.
As we look ahead, safety will remain at the forefront of all we do. OKCPS has a strong set of protocols in place that, if followed with fidelity, will continue to reduce the risk of exposure and possible infection even as we begin to re-open our campuses. While no system is perfect, by combining these layers of safety, we are doing everything possible to keep OKCPS students, families and staff as safe and healthy which will allow us to continue with in-person teaching and learning.
Let’s continue working together to keep our children, staff and community safe.
Dr. Sean McDaniel, Superintendent