Owasso Students Return To Classrooms On First Day Of School

Owasso students choosing to learn in person are returning to classrooms on Thursday morning. The district is reporting an increase in enrollment following a decrease last year and will have similar safety procedures in place.

Superintendent Dr. Amy Fichtner said more than 97% of students in the district are returning to in-person instruction. The rest are taking part in the district’s virtual option, at least for the fall semester.

In accordance with state law, masks are optional for students and staff. Dr. Fichtner said the district will support anyone who wants to wear one.

Administrators will use contact tracing to notify parents if their child was around someone who tests positive for COVID-19. There will also be efforts to frequently sanitize high-contact areas.

Dr. Fichtner said students may also notice some practices like distancing, covered water fountains and one-way hallways in some buildings. She said these are concepts students and staff should be familiar with by now.

“That part of it will be more comfortable for our staff because they have previously used it,” said Dr. Fichtner. “Our students, for example, with covered water fountains and bringing water bottles, we were explaining it last year, this year it’s just what we do.”

Dr. Fichtner said enrollment numbers are increasing for this school year after seeing a decrease last year. She said faculty and staff have been working all week to get ready for the year.

“One of the things that’s exciting to see is the energy in the air as our children come back to their physical school buildings,” said Dr. Fichtner. “They are worth taking care of those extra challenges and I think our team is committed to those challenges because of the kiddos we serve.”

More information on the upcoming school year can be found on the district’s website, you can find it by Clicking Here.  https://www.owassops.org/.