Metro School Districts Change Policy After Department Of Health Guidance

New guidance from the Oklahoma State Department of Health is prompting some metro schools to change their COVID-19 policies regarding quarantine and face masks.

The Edmond Public School District implemented previous mitigation strategies on Monday.

In a lengthy letter to parents, Superintendent Angela Grunewald explained the district already had more positive cases in the first 13 days than in the entire 2020-21 school year.

As a result, the district is putting a few precautions back in place. Those precautions include:

1. Limiting/canceling large group indoor gatherings
2. Seating arrangements by pod at the elementary level
3. Limiting the size of small group activities in elementary classrooms
4. Using seating charts in secondary classrooms 
5. Moving high school assemblies to outside  

The University of Oklahoma will now implement a new masking policy in the classroom.

If a student tests positive for COVID, their entire class will be required to wear a mask for 2 weeks.

While mask use outside of this scenario is not enforced, university leadership is encouraging masks to be worn indoors at all times.

“Simply put, masking in class is the right thing to do,” said OU President Joseph Harroz Jr. “I’m urging you to mask indoors regardless of your vaccination status. Masking alone has the power to keep our classes, events and programs in person."

Superintendent Grunewald said that is the goal of Edmond Public Schools as well.

Entire classes have had to quarantine just 2 weeks into the year.