Safety Protocols In Place For Jenks Public Schools First Day Of In-Person Classes

Jenks Public Schools opened their doors for the first day of in-person learning this fall.

The district said 85% of kids are back in school, which is more than 10,000 kids districtwide. They said 15% of students are still learning virtually.

As students are back in the classrooms for in-person learning, a lot of parents are concerned about their kids back in the classrooms again. 

The district announced the return to in-person learning, but parents said they’re concerned with sending their kids to school because Tulsa County’s COVID-19 positive numbers are not decreasing.

"We have staff that are out just trying to help students find their way because again it's been a long time since they've been on campus," Ryan Glaze, Jenks East Elementary Principal said. "But they're coming here for the first day of in person learning."

For the last several weeks students have been learning from home. Glaze said when the district announced the return of in-person learning they also announced their cleaning and safety procedures. 

"We actually developed a handbook about all of our protocols and processes that we shared with families. It kind of helped explain the things that we're doing," said Glaze. 

Those procedures include all faculty and students 3rd grade and up to wear masks. The district said the state gave them cleaning supplies and two masks for each teacher.

Bonnie Rogers with Jenks Public Schools said air filtration systems are also being used. 

"Up to eight times a day it cycles that air through the room in every building and then it filters out 95% of the COVID particulates that are in the air," said Rogers. 

The district said they are prepared if any students test positive for COVID-19. 

"Our contact tracing process is really formed by the CDC and Johns Hopkins University, so all of our contact tracers have really been involved in that training," said Glaze. "We have to be very cautious about how we communicate. We will absolutely communicate to let families know that, but we also have to protect the identity of those that may have been the positive cases."