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Bartlesville public schools are off to a good start--all things considered.

 

BPS Superintendent Chuck McCauley appeared on COMMUNITY CONNECTION on Wednesday to say things at the schools are going better than he thought they would at this point. McCauley says the students appear to be okay with wearing the face masks. So far, there have been no issues with the mask requirement. 

 

McCauley says he watching the Washington County COVID-19 closely.  Currently, Washington County is a ‘yellow’ or low-risk county. Although it is bordering on ‘Orange’ or moderate risk which could require action from the district per recommendations from the Oklahoma State Board of Education. 

 

McCauley says he wants to keep in-person education available as long as possible. BPS is not only factoring in the Washington County COVID-19 levels, but also the levels of staff and student absenteeism as it relates to the coronavirus before making any decisions regarding changes to in-person learning and to school activities such as sports, band, etc.. Of the 6,739 students and staff there have been a total of two people isolated due to positive tests. 

 

You can monitor live version of the Google absenteeism document HERE

 

BPS has plans in place for isolated outbreaks to major outbreaks involving the schools. In the case of isolated outbreaks, classes at the affected campus might be changed to distance learning for a couple days so that the affected school can be deeply cleaned. Larger outbreaks might mean a week or so away from in-person learning. 

 

What makes things easier to handle, according to McCauley, is the fact that there are choices available for students and their families. Currently just over 1,400 students district wide are engaged in either full or blended distance learning. 

 

WATCH CHUCK McCAULEY ON COMMUNITY CONNECTION