1/15/2021 Message from McDaniel | Weekly COVID-19 Update
OKCPS Families and Staff,
It’s hard to believe we are already halfway through the month of January and that next Tuesday the hallways in many of our schools will once again know the sound of students’ footsteps and laughter as our youngest and high-need students begin returning to campus.
Prior to that, there is another wonderful opportunity for our students. While today would have been Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr’s 92nd birthday, Monday is the national day of observance in honor of Dr. King. In previous years, OKCPS has been honored to participate in the Martin Luther King Jr. Holiday Parade to celebrate Dr. King's life and legacy. And, while we will greatly miss seeing our students march down our city streets in honor of Dr. King’s unparalleled contributions, I’m grateful that our city has found a way for us to come together and celebrate virtually. The 2021 parade theme, “Remember, Celebrate, and ACT” reflects the steps we need to take to bring us all to a place of unity. On Monday, January 19th at 9:00am the Oklahoma City Martin Luther King Jr. Holiday Coalition is hosting a virtual parade that can be viewed on their facebook page. I encourage all of you to tune in, cheer on our schools that are participating and celebrate the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. as we take a moment to reflect on his work and the work that still needs to be done for racial equality. In observance of this important day, OKCPS will be closed on Monday and we encourage all of our students and staff to participate in remembering and honoring everything Dr. King accomplished.
Oklahoma County Situation Update
Today, the Oklahoma State Department of Health (OSDH) indicates that the cases per 100,000 for Oklahoma County are 94.4, as compared to 70.0 last week, leaving Oklahoma County in the OSDE’s Red Alert Level.
Knowing there would be a significant spike in cases following the holidays, OKCPS has remained in close contact with our partners at the Oklahoma City-County Health Department (OCCHD) regarding our plan to bring students back to the classroom . Below is a statement they released regarding their support of in-person learning:
“The Oklahoma City County Health Department will support our schools by recommending sound, scientifically proven strategies as we continue to move forward during this unprecedented COVID response. OCCHD fully supports going back in an A/B class format and continuing with the mitigation efforts that the schools in our county have achieved such as testing and environmental controls. We are confident that by continuing with these efforts, each school has the tools necessary to manage their operations. OCCHD also fully supports and recommends the current CDC quarantine and isolation guidelines and will continue to do so until scientific evidence fully supports doing otherwise. OCCHD believes that current CDC quarantine and isolation procedures are the most effective means of slowing the spread of COVID within schools. As the situation improves and as teachers and support staff are vaccinated, OCCHD will reevaluate and change its recommendations at that time.”
So, with the support of our local health officials, OKCPS is excited to begin welcoming a number of our students back for in-person learning next week. However, in order for our kids to stay in the classroom, our entire community must continue to follow safety protocols.
OKCPS Return To Campus
January 19, 2021
- Students in grades PK-4th will Return to Campus for in-person learning in A/B setting for the remainder of the month of January
- Note that because Rogers Elementary is unique in that it is an elementary school that serves students in grades 4, 5 and 6, we have made the decision to bring all of our Rogers students back for in-person learning during this phase of the OKCPS Return to Campus plan. This shift means that all Rogers students will return for in-person learning in the A/B setting on Tuesday, January 19th.
- Additional small groups of students will return to campus for in-person learning next Tuesday as well:
- All Special Education students PK-12 who are served in a self-contained classroom setting (AU, ID, MD, Hearing Impaired, Vision Impaired, and ED) will now attend for a full day, four days a week (Tuesday - Friday) beginning Tuesday, January 19th. Our teachers will be connecting with our families who are included in this group.
- Alternative Education Students (Putnam Heights, Emerson North & Emerson South) will transition to the A/B setting
- Students in our HOPE program will transition to the A/B setting
- Children in Workplace Program will continue for children of employees
- Students in grades 5th-12th will continue with Remote Learning
- Beginning Tuesday, January 19th, all district school staff will report to work in-person full time.
February 1, 2021
- Consider bringing students in grades 5th - 12th back for in-person learning in A/B Setting
So, what does this mean for students who are returning on January 19?
- Students identified above will now attend school in-person two full days a week. All students will log in for Synchronous Virtual Learning with their teachers on Mondays. These students will be provided with learning activities to complete on their own at home during the other 2 days of the week.
- Families have already been notified of their Group A or Group B assignment. Depending on that assignment, students will either attend in-person school, for the full day on Tuesday & Thursday for Group A and on Wednesday & Friday for Group B. All students will log in for Synchronous Virtual Learning with their teachers on Mondays. See graphic above or visit: www.okcps.org/domain/1846 for more information on the A/B Schedule. If you have not been notified of your child’s “Group” assignment yet, please contact your child’s school for more information. And, when looking at this schedule, please remember that our classes will start on a Tuesday next week due to the holiday!
- Please note that students who are currently in our e3 Online Learning Program will not experience any changes to their learning. The A/B schedule does not impact e3 students.
- All students should bring their iPad / Chromebook to school with them on the days they have in-person learning. Please make sure it is fully charged. Learn more about being ready for in-person school, check out our Round the Clock Resource Guide
- Transportation will be provided to all students who are returning to our campuses who live further than 1.5 miles from their assigned school. Bus route information is available from your student's school or visit: www.okcps.org/Page/302. As a reminder, OKCPS has not historically provided transportation for our Pre-K students. Instead, these families will be responsible for dropping off and picking up their Pre-K students.
- Meals and snacks will be provided to students who are attending school in-person. Students will either eat in the cafeteria while social distancing or in their classrooms.
- Our “Grab & Go” breakfast, lunch, supper and snack will also still be available to all students who are learning remotely at no cost Monday through Friday from 10:30am - 12:30pm at all school sites.
- Students are encouraged to use refillable water bottles and use the schools’ bottle-filling stations, where they are available. The district’s Custodial Services will clean water fountains frequently throughout the day.
- Although families are encouraged to follow the uniform guidelines if at all possible, students will be allowed to wear any solid colored polo shirt, along with khaki, black or navy pants.
- The use of shared supplies is discouraged. The Foundation for OKCPS has been able to provide school supplies to most elementary schools; however, if possible, students are encouraged to bring their own personal supplies.
- For more information on our Return To Campus plan, please visit: www.okcps.org/return2021
As a reminder, students in grades 5th-12th will continue with Remote Learning.
Safety Protocols
OKCPS remains committed to the health and safety of OKCPS students and staff. I'm very proud of our OKCPS’ Six-Point Safety Plan, and if you haven’t had a chance to take a look I encourage you to do so. It clearly outlines a number of safety protocols and practices in place to help mitigate the risk of COVID-19. And, as we start move into the spring semester, I’m especially pleased that our plan now incorporates 3 additional layers of safety:
- Active ionization systems in every classroom and workspace in every school: These systems have a 99.4% kill rate for the virus and refresh the air about every 12 minutes, similar to the systems on airplanes. In addition to this, every other month, every school will be sprayed with an antimicrobial shield that lasts for 90 days. Our pre-k centers, elementary schools and alternative education schools have already received this upgrade and our middle and high schools will be completed by February 1st.
- Site-based contact tracing: Coordinated by a central team of experts, every school has at least two staff members who have completed the Johns Hopkins University contact tracing training, to identify any risk of spread when there are positive COVID-19 cases in our schools.
- Rapid testing for staff and their families: OKCPS now has 7 locations where staff and members of their households (over the age of 18) can voluntarily access COVID-19 testing, giving peace of mind when potential exposures occur.
All of these are in addition to a number of existing safety protocols:
- Students must also wear a face covering that covers both the nose and mouth. The district will provide face coverings for every staff member, student, volunteers and visitors as needed. Additional face coverings and face shields are also available for teachers and staff, along with gloves and gowns.
- Each classroom has been equipped with disinfectant wipes, hand sanitizer and contactless thermometers.
- Families are expected to screen children for fever of 100.4 or more and/or other symptoms associated with COVID-19 prior to students’ arrival at school each day. School staff will also take each student's temperature upon arrival at the school. If the student has a temperature of 100.4 and/or presents with other COVID-like symptoms, the student will be isolated and sent home.
- Frequent hand washing and sanitizing will be encouraged. Students will be asked to wash and/or sanitize their hands upon arrival, before and after meals and outdoor play. Classrooms will be equipped with hand hygiene products and additional hand sanitizer stations will be placed throughout the buildings.
- Social distancing will be practiced when applicable.
- Students’ ability to participate in unstructured play is an important component for children to develop physical, mental and social skills. Recess schedules will be staggered and the number of children on the playground will be limited at any given time to accommodate physical distancing guidelines. Hand hygiene practices will be in place before and after recess. Additional details about recess procedures will be provided by your child’s school.
- All buildings are cleaned daily by custodial crews and school staff will wipe down frequently touched areas multiple times a day. Additionally, any area determined to have been visited by a positive person will be thoroughly cleaned and disinfected with CDC approved cleaning solutions.
- Our buses receive daily cleaning of frequently touched areas, and have scheduled disinfectant treatments that protect buses for 90 days.
While we are on the topic of mitigation measures, I also want to mention that District leaders are continuing to work with officials from OCCHD to finalize the COVID-19 vaccine deployment plan for our district staff. Although it will likely be several weeks before the vaccine is available to educators in Oklahoma County, we want to ensure we will be ready to assist with distribution. In the meantime, we encourage anyone who meets the priority requirements to be vaccinated (age 65+, have comorbidities, etc) to go ahead and sign-up to receive the vaccine at one of the upcoming state/county vaccination events. The Oklahoma State Health Department has released an online portal that Oklahomans can use to register for a COVID-19 vaccine which can be found at https://vaccinate.oklahoma.gov/. If you’re having trouble doing it online or just need help, please call 2-1-1 for assistance.
OKCPS COVID Notification Process
As a reminder, OKCPS has a detailed process in place to manage COVID-19 exposure and notifications on our campuses:
- OKCPS has a full-time Health & Wellness team who work alongside our Safety & Emergency Management professionals and dedicated, trained on-site personnel to conduct detailed contact tracing for each and every staff or student exposure.
- OKCPS also works closely with OCCHD officials and other agencies.
- OKCPS employees who work at a school building (with the exception of SNS staff and Guest Teachers) should report a positive COVID-19 test or exposure to your principal and/or your school’s contact tracer.
- 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 school sites will make arrangements or accommodations for learning if a student is required to isolate.
- 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 and Guest Teachers should also use the CV19 line to report a positive COVID-19 test or exposure.
- OKCPS will notify all families and staff each time a positive COVID-19 case is confirmed in a building/on campus. When contact tracing is complete, those who are determined to have been in close contact with the positive case will also be contacted separately and asked to isolate.
While we are doing everything in our power to mitigate risk, our public health leaders tell us that OKCPS staff and families will likely experience a few “stops and starts” as we begin to bring students back to campus. It is very possible, if not likely, that entire classrooms or even entire schools buildings may be asked to isolate and/or move to a fully remote learning environment for a period of time at some point this spring, in accordance with CDC guidelines. And, while we will obviously do everything we can to prevent such a scenario, I feel it is important to be transparent with you about this possibility. Thank you in advance for your patience and flexibility if you and your family are, in fact, impacted in the future.
Support & Reminders
We are excited to announce that the window to submit applications for one of our five OKCPS Application Schools is now open through March 5. Students interested in attending Belle Isle Enterprise Middle School, Classen SAS Middle School, Classen SAS High School at Northeast, Southeast Middle School and Southeast High School 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.
OKCPS remains committed to supporting you in every way possible as we move into the next phase of our Return to Campus plan. 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 we look forward to welcoming a number of our students back to campus on Tuesday, I urge you to remain vigilant and follow all safety protocols. While I am deeply grateful to the district teams who continue to work tirelessly to create a safe environment for #TeamOKCPS and for our students, we know that our ability to return to campus is ultimately based on the choices that we make as a community. Let’s all do our part.
Thank you for your ongoing support of OKCPS. I will update you again next Friday. In the meantime, please stay safe, 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 94.4, as compared to 70.0 last week, leaving Oklahoma County in the OSDE’s Red Alert Level.
Each Friday, OKCPS reports the number of “self-reported” positive COVID-19 cases, along with 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.