4/9/2021 Message from McDaniel | Weekly COVID-19 Update
OKCPS Families and Staff,
This was another big week for OKCPS as all of our students and staff came together for the first time since March 12, 2020 for in-person learning 4 days a week! Earlier this year, our A/B schedule allowed students to transition back to in-person learning in a safe and responsible way, and now as conditions in our community continue to improve and vaccines have become widely available, we are elated that everyone is back together for in-person learning again. The energy was high as many classmates saw each other for the first time in person all year. Hugs may have been replaced with elbow bumps and masks were plentiful...but not even a mask could hide the smiles on the faces of our students and staff!
On Tuesday of this week, our community came together and used their voices to decide the future of 3 seats on the Oklahoma City Public Schools Board of Education. Congratulations to Paula Lewis, Carole Thompson, Lori Bowman and Meg McElhaney. Read more about these new board members here. All of these talented ladies will provide a valuable and unique perspective to our Board of Education as they serve a four year term from 2021-2025. We look forward to swearing in our new and returning board members at Monday’s Board of Education meeting and to celebrating Rebecca Budd and Charles Henry for their commitment to OKCPS for the past four years.
OKCPS also celebrates our Assistant Principals, Library Media Specialists and Paraprofessionals around the district this week. These teams work so hard each and every day -- often behind the scenes -- and we simply couldn’t make the magic happen without them!
Reminders, Safety and Support
Meals: OKCPS Curbside Meal Service will remain in place at all school sites on Mondays only. Our e3 students may also work with their child’s school to arrange for meals to be picked up each day.
Survey regarding Plans For 2021-22: If you haven’t already, families should respond to the survey in your Parent Portal that asks about your plans for next school year. Families should respond for each of your children by Friday April 16th. If you have any questions, please contact your child’s school or the Student Registration Team at reg@okcps.org.
OKCPS Pre-K and Kindergarten Pre-Registration: Pre-registration for Pre-K and New to OKCPS Kindergarten students for the 2021-2022 school year kicked off this week and will run through Friday, April 16th. Please contact our early childhood department at (405) 587-0116 if you have questions. You can learn more or pre-register by visiting: www.okcps.org/Page/6888
Oklahoma State Academic Testing: Be on the lookout for information from your school on when our 3rd-8th and 11th grade students will be showing off their learning! As always, please make sure your students get plenty of rest and come to school with their devices charged up and ready to go!
Safety: OKCPS Safety and Health & Wellness teams will continue to closely monitor the situation so we are able to make updates to our OKCPS Six-Point Safety Plan as needed in order to ensure a safe learning environment for all students and staff. As always, if you have a safety concern,please reach out to your building leader or fill out a TIPS report.
COVID-19 Vaccine: Looking to sign up to receive the vaccine? Visit www.vaxokc.com. OKCPS encourages our families and staff to receive the vaccine if they are interested.
Supports: 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 of today, OKCPS students have 33 days left together. Our focus as a district during that time will be to provide our kids with opportunities to reconnect and to learn in an environment where they can feel safe, seen and valued. Although high quality instruction must continue, we know that we must also support their social, emotional and physical needs.
It's definitely been a big week for OKCPS and it is only because of your diligence, cooperation and commitment to safety that we were able to fully reopen our campuses. And, we’ll have many more milestones to celebrate as we finish this school year -- proms, graduations, sporting events, recitals, retirements, and so much more. So, let’s remain vigilant in our safety practices and make the most of the time we have left together. No looking back, OKCPS!
As always, thank you for your ongoing support. Stay safe, everyone.
Sean McDaniel
Superintendent
OKCPS Weekly COVID-19 Update
On April 7th, OSDH reported that the cases per 100,000 for Oklahoma County were 7.7, which keeps Oklahoma County in the OSDE’s Yellow Alert Level. We must remain vigilant and closely follow all safety protocols if we want our students to be able to remain in the classroom. The next alert report from the OSDH will be on Wednesday, April 14.
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.