State Board Of Education Addresses COVID-19 Issues, Efforts

The State Board of Education held a special meeting Thursday to discuss, among other things, the state of COVID-19 in Oklahoma.

State Epidemiologist Dr. Jared Taylor addressed the board and stressed the importance of quarantining if a student tests positive. He said even if a student feels well, they need to quarantine for a full 14 days.

Dr. Taylor said they are not satisfied with where the state is in terms of the number of COVID-19 cases and the impact that is having on students. 78% of districts are requiring masks statewide, which is up from the previous month.

The board also heard from Stilwell Superintendent Dr. Geri Gilstrap, who provided an update about how her district is doing fighting COVID-19.

She said they've stepped up cleaning and have required masks for everyone, but the students are excited to be back in person.

"They're so thrilled to be here,” said Gilstrap. “I think at this point if I said wear a mask, stand in the corner on your head, drink water upside down, they would do it. They're just so thrilled to be back in school."

Health officials said they are also considering different ways to do contact tracing at schools statewide.

For COVID-19 updates for school districts across Green Country, you can visit this story on our News On 6 website.