OKCPS Families and Staff, 

Mother Nature may have disrupted our Return to Campus plan this week, but I am grateful for our teachers and students who were able to turn on a dime and once again leverage our new technology to continue with instruction. Kudos to all of you!

We are closely monitoring the forecast for this weekend and next week. Realizing there is a significant potential for continued ice, snow and extremely cold temperatures, families and students should prepare for additional Remote Learning days. As always, if modifications to the learning schedule are needed, OKCPS will notify you via phone and text message, through social media and on www.okcps.org.

COVID-19 Vaccine

Today,  OKCPS is partnering with Passport Health to host our first special vaccination event for OKCPS employees. As you likely heard, officials from the State of Oklahoma announced yesterday that the eligibility to receive the COVID-19 vaccine will be expanded to include teachers and school staff of any age, as well as people with comorbidities, beginning on February 22nd. 

The safety of OKCPS students and staff has been at the forefront of every decision we have made during the pandemic. As we’ve said from the very beginning, the best place for our students is in the classroom. Allowing our teachers and staff to receive the vaccine is a critical piece of our mitigation efforts, and we are delighted to see the eligibility parameters being significantly expanded. 

OKCPS continues to encourage all staff and families who are interested in the vaccine to pre-register with the Oklahoma State Health Department using their online portal. The portal can be found at: https://vaccinate.oklahoma.gov/. Pre-registering will help keep you informed of public PODs available to you. 

Reminders

MONDAY, FEBRUARY 15 WILL BE AN INSTRUCTIONAL DAY: In addition to extending our school day by 10 minutes,  the OKCPS Board of Education voted to adjust our school calendar to address the instructional time missed due to the ice storm in October 2020 by adding Monday, February 15 and Wednesday, May 26th as instructional days. Please be sure to note these changes in your calendar.  

OKCPS APPLICATION SCHOOLS: The window to submit applications for one of our five OKCPS Application  Schools is still open through March 5. Students interested in attending one these schools for the 2021-22 school year must complete an application online to be considered for admission. For more information or to start your application, please visit the district’s website at www.okcps.org/applicationschools.

Safety & Support 

OKCPS remains committed to supporting you in every way possible. Below are some resources for families and staff:

• 58-STUDY (587-8839) for academic support and 587-HELP (4357) for technical support, and our Student Services Team is also available for emotional support and crisis intervention at 587-0489. 
• OKCPS Employee Assistance Program  is available to district staff for emotional support, legal and financial guidance and much more at no cost. 
• 2-1-1 HeartLine is open 24/7 for help with counseling, rental assistance, food pantries, affordable housing, health resources, child care, after-school programs, caregiver support, financial programs, literacy, and job programs. As always, please call 911 for emergencies. 
• If you or someone you know is thinking about suicide, call 2-1-1 or the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline 800-273-TALK (8255) for 24/7 support.

As Oklahoma moves through this historic weather event, let’s continue to keep safety at the forefront. Visit https://www.weather.gov/safety/winter for more information about preparing for extreme winter weather conditions. 

Thank you for your ongoing support of OKCPS. I will update you again next Friday. In the meantime, stay warm, everyone.

Dr. Sean McDaniel

Superintendent

OKCPS Weekly COVID-19 Update

Today, the Oklahoma State Department of Health (OSDH) indicates that the cases per 100,000 for Oklahoma County are 35.9, as compared to 41.9 last week, keeping Oklahoma County in the OSDE’s Orange 2 Alert Level.  And, while we are pleased to see our case numbers declining, our entire community must remain vigilant and closely follow all safety protocols if we want our students to be able to remain in the classroom.

Each Friday, OKCPS reports the number of active “self-reported” positive COVID-19 cases, as well as the number of individuals who have been asked to isolate due to potential exposure to the virus.  

“Close Contact” Exposure refers to the number of cases when a staff member or student was in “close contact” with a person who has tested positive for COVID and has been asked to isolate. “Close contact” as defined by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention occurs when an individual is within 6 feet of an infected person for at least 15 minutes starting from 2 days (or 48 hours) before the infected person’s onset of symptoms.

Self-Reported Positive Cases refers to the number of cases when a staff member or student has notified OKCPS of positive results from a COVID-19 test.

COVID-19 Reporting 

Staff

OKCPS employees who work at a school building (with the exception of SNS staff) should report a positive COVID-19 test or exposure to your principal and/or your school’s contact tracer. 

OKCPS employees who work at the Clara Luper Center for Educational Services, the Operations Center, Student Support Services at Westwood should report a positive COVID-19 test or exposure by calling the district’s COVID-19 line, (405) 587-CV19. SNS staff members should also use the CV19 line to report a positive COVID-19 test or exposure. 

Families

Families should report student positive test results for COVID-19 or exposure to a positive case by calling their child’s school. The school’s designated contact tracer will provide instructions related to isolating and receiving instruction remotely during the isolation period. 

Additionally, if a child or staff member is showing any symptoms, is waiting on the result of a COVID-19 test or has been exposed to someone who has tested positive for COVID-19, they must stay home and contact their school for guidance. Do not come to campus.