3/26/2021 Message from McDaniel | Weekly COVID-19 Update
OKCPS Families and Staff,
I hope you enjoyed your Spring Break last week and that you found time to rest, reconnect, recharge and to read 20 minutes a day as part of our ReadOKC Spring Break Challenge! Time tends to pass quickly during the 4th Quarter of the year as we enjoy spring sports, graduations, fine arts performances, proms, and so many other special events. So, let’s continue to make the most of it!
Return To Campus
As a reminder, OKCPS also plans to make adjustments to our Return To Campus plan for the 4th Quarter:
- On April 6th, all students (PK-12th grade) will return for in-person learning 4 days a week, Tuesday - Friday. Monday will remain a remote learning day for all students.
- The only exception to this in-person learning change will be students who have previously elected the district’s e3 Online Learning option who will continue to learn virtually for the remainder of the school year.
This date allows all district staff who have chosen to participate to be fully vaccinated before students return. It is two weeks after Spring Break when many OKCPS families and staff may have travelled or been at a higher risk of exposure, which gives all of us an opportunity to monitor symptoms, get tested and possibly quarantine if necessary prior to increasing our number of days of in-person instruction.
COVID-19 Safety Updates
Our teams have spent the last several weeks updating our district and building protocols to ensure a safe learning environment as we prepare for our 4-day Return To Campus. Our OKCPS Six-Point Safety Plan guides this work, and our Safety and Health & Wellness teams closely monitor the situation so we are able to make updates as needed, such as the latest guidance released by the CDC just last week regarding social distancing for schools. Rest assured that OKCPS remains committed to physical distancing to fullest extent possible for both students and staff on all of our campuses.
OKCPS has also made the decision to continue with all of our existing masks protocols on our campuses. This includes the requirement that masks or face coverings be worn by all students, families, staff and visitors at all times while on all district property, regardless of an individual’s vaccination status.
With these protocols and our additional mitigation efforts such as air ionization, free COVID-19 testing for students and staff, enhanced site-based contact tracing and reporting protocols, and widespread access to the COVID-19 vaccine already in place and with the continued support of our local health officials, I continue to believe it is both safe and responsible to take this next step of bringing our students back to our buildings 4 days a week on April 6.
Important Calendar Update
April 2nd was previously scheduled as a virtual learning day. However, because of the impacts from recent winter weather, OKCPS has made the decision to make April 2 a regular school day for students in Group B and all regular district staff and support staff should report to work.
Detailed Timeline for our Return to Campus Plan
Week of March 29, 2021
- OKCPS will continue with our existing A/B schedule for all students this week.
- Friday, April 2 will now be a regular school day. Students in Group B and all district staff should report. Students in Group A will proceed with asynchronous learning on April 2.
- OKCPS Curbside Meal Service continues at all sites on Mondays and in designated locations on Tuesday - Friday.
- Elementary teachers & school leaders begin to adjust their classrooms and building procedures to accommodate the return of all PK-4th grade students during the week of April 5.
- Children in Workplace Program will continue for children of employees.
Week of April 5, 2021
- All students in grades PK-12th will Return to Campus for in-person learning 4 days a week, Tuesday - Friday.
- Mondays will remain a remote learning day for all students.
- Children in Workplace Program will end as students return.
- OKCPS Curbside Meal Service will remain in place at all school sites on Mondays only.
NOTE: All students currently enrolled in our e3 Online Learning program will continue to learn virtually for the remainder of the 2020-21 school year.
Reminders and Support
Uniforms / Dress Code: Due to current economic conditions related to the COVID-19 pandemic, OKCPS District leaders will allow leniency for uniform policy compliance for the 2020-2021 school year. Although families are encouraged to follow the guidelines if at all possible, students will be allowed to wear any solid colored polo shirt, along with khaki, black or navy pants. If you have any questions or concerns regarding school dress code or need assistance, please contact your child’s school. Click here for more information: https://www.okcps.org/Page/3970
Building Access for Staff, Visitors, Volunteers: To help ensure we maintain a safe environment for OKCPS students and staff, we will not allow access for outside guests at our school sites at this time. Parents/Guardians may visit the school’s front office (preferably with an appointment), but we will not allow access of any kind for other visitors such as volunteers, outside speakers, or members of the media at this time. OKCPS families and staff members who have business to take care of at the Clara Luper Center for Educational Services, the Student Support Center at Westwood, or the Operations Center should continue to call to make an appointment before arriving at any of these facilities.
COVID-19 Vaccine: Beginning Monday, March 29th, all Oklahoma residents over the age of 16 will be eligible to receive the COVID-19 vaccine. We continue to encourage all staff and families who are interested to use www.vaxokc.com or https://vaccinefinder.org/ to find available clinics to receive the vaccine.
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 always, we will closely monitor the situation, but TeamOKCPS is excited to welcome our students back to a 4-day in-person learning schedule on April 6...with hopes of a full return to a traditional learning schedule when we come together in the Fall! Perhaps our OKC Mayor David Holt said it best this week when he posted these words:
“For several months, I’ve used the analogy that we can see the light at the end of the tunnel. We may still be in the tunnel today, but I not only see the light, I am starting to feel the sunshine on my face!”
Let’s remain vigilant in our hygiene and safety practices so our community can continue to heal and so our students can continue to enjoy learning together on campus! As always, thank you for your ongoing support of OKCPS. Stay safe, everyone.
Dr. Sean McDaniel
OKCPS Weekly COVID-19 Update
Recently, the Oklahoma State Department of Health (OSDH) announced a significant change to the way it reports COVID-19 case data. It no longer publishes daily case information by county, city or zip code. It will still publish a weekly alert map based on county case data but has moved the publication date to Wednesday.
On March 17th, OSDH reported that the cases per 100,000 for Oklahoma County were 17.2, which put Oklahoma County in the OSDE’s Orange 1 Alert Level. The most recent report from March 23rd indicates that our cases per 100,000 for Oklahoma County were 8.1, which moved Oklahoma County to the OSDE’s Yellow Alert Level. While this is great news for our community, 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, March 31st.
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.