3/5/2021 Message from McDaniel | Weekly COVID-19 Update
OKCPS Families and Staff,
March is here and with it comes more sunshine and warmer weather! As our winter sports wrap up, we congratulate our wrestling and basketball teams on a successful season even in the midst of a pandemic. We also want to wish all of our teams still competing at the OSSAA State Basketball Playoffs the best of luck! Our spring sports are also in full swing and we are excited to see OKCPS students suiting up for soccer, baseball, tennis, golf and track and field.
March 1st also marked the beginning of Women’s History Month. Our country made history this year when Ms. Kamala Harris became the first female Vice President of the United States, and I challenge our students, families and staff to research or learn something about a remarkable woman to celebrate this month.
But let’s not wait for a specific day or month to celebrate the things that make us special. The rich diversity of our community is what makes OKCPS strong and we want to ensure that our students, families, staff and visitors of all backgrounds always feel welcome and valued. OKCPS is committed to building and sustaining an environment that embraces diversity, is welcoming and fosters a sense of belonging every day. Our diversity is part of what makes us unique and is something we are very proud of!
Return To Campus
Many thanks to everyone who took time to reply to our recent Return To Campus survey. As we have said all along, OKCPS is committed to thoughtfully reconsidering our plans for how best to safely serve our students and families as conditions related to COVID-19 change. Please know that thoughtful consideration includes reviewing the input from our families, staff and students, receiving direction from our public health partners, consulting with our Covid Response Task Force and hearing from our OKCPS Board of Education. The OKCPS Board of Education will discuss a possible increase in the number of days our students would be on campus for in-person instruction at their meeting on Monday evening. If you are interested, please tune in to hear the discussion. www.okcps.org/livestream
Reminders & Supports
OKCPS Career Fair: OKCPS will host a virtual recruitment fair next Tuesday, March 9 from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. The event will be modeled after a traditional job fair, but held entirely online. Interested candidates will be able to virtually “visit” each booth of a school that they would like to learn more about. Interviews will be conducted on the spot, so prospective employees should be prepared to discuss their experience and credentials with district leaders, share contact information and provide the required documentation for possible employment. I believe we have the best teachers and offer the highest average teacher salary in Oklahoma and we are looking forward to adding more talented individuals to Team OKCPS. Interested candidates can register for the OKCPS Career Fair on our website!
OKCPS Pre-K and Kindergarten Enrollment: Save the date! OKCPS will open Pre-K and new to OKCPS Kindergarten enrollment on April 5th through April 16th. Watch for additional information coming soon!
Spring Break: OKCPS will be closed from March 15th through 19th for Spring Break. We hope our families and staff enjoy a much needed break to rest and recharge.
ReadOKC Spring Reading Challenge: Students are being challenged to read for at least 20 minutes every day of the break, for a total of 180-minutes. Students can log their minutes using the paper reading log, OR by recording your minutes on Beanstack! There are prizes for students who met the goal and for the top three readers in the district. The ReadOKC Spring Reading Challenge is open to all OKCPS students. Visit our website for details: www.okcps.org/ReadOKC
OKCPS International Travel Guidelines: With Spring Break approaching, OKCPS realizes that our families and staff may be considering travel outside the United States. OKCPS discourages international travel by our staff members, students and their families based on the current guidance outlined by the CDC. However, if you must travel, please note that the following:
- OKCPS employees and students will not be allowed to return to campus, in any capacity, until they have had a negative test (taken 3-5 days after returning from their trip) and self-quarantine for 7 days, OR until after they have completed the required full 10 day self-quarantine period.
- Employees should report international travel to their immediate supervisor in writing prior to traveling.
- Families should report travel for students by calling your child’s school. Once you provide the date that you returned home from your trip, the school can tell you when your child is eligible to return to in-person learning.
- Students can and are encouraged to participate in remote learning options during their self-quarantine period. Families should work with your child’s teacher and/or school regarding the remote learning options available.
- For more information on international travel during COVID-19, please review the CDC’s guidelines: https://wwwnc.cdc.gov/travel/notices
COVID-19 Vaccine: While district leaders are excited to see so many members of #TeamOKCPS getting vaccinated, we continue 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. The Oklahoma City County Health Department (OCCHD) also created www.vaxokc.com to help Oklahoma County residents who are interested in receiving the vaccine find available clinics.
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.
The sunshine and warmer weather remind us that Spring Break is right around the corner. But as we move through next week, let’s remain vigilant in our hygiene and safety practices as outlined in the OKCPS Six-Point Safety Plan. By working together, our students will be able to continue learning together on campus! As always, thank you for your ongoing support of OKCPS. I will update you again next Friday. In the meantime, 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 17.9, as compared to 16.6 last week, keeping Oklahoma County to the OSDE’s Orange 1 Alert Level. 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.