More than 90% of Oklahoma school districts are doing some kind of in person schooling. StateImpact’s Robby Korth reports on the effects of in person instruction and how the state is fighting the coronavirus pandemic as it spreads into educational institutions.
Multitudes of Oklahoma schools have students back in the classroom.
And data from an informal survey of more than 500 districts show that though the state’s larger schools are starting the year remotely, most smaller ones are taking part in in-person instruction. And of those, almost 200 don’t have a mandatory masking policy of any kind.
One thing that will be critical to monitoring the spread of the coronavirus in those districts will be a plan discussed by the state health department to give optional COVID-19 tests to teachers and staff in schools across the state monthly.
Oklahoma officials’ goal is to perform tests in every school district in the state during a three week period soon.
A review of publicly announced cases in school districts by StateImpact Oklahoma shows that since school started in the first week of August, more than 90 districts have reported a positive case of the coronavirus. And because schools aren’t required to release that information to the general public, there are probably far more.
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