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As sports have ramped up across Northeast Oklahoma and Southeast Kansas, the future of athletics and activities at high schools this fall across the area will likely be solely decided by the individual school districts.

At Bartlesville Public Schools, Superintendent Chuck McCauley provided clarity on some situations that might require BHS to discontinue athletics and activities on Wednesday's community connection on KWON.

The Gist: Bartlesville will continue to hold athletic and activity events and practices while the district is able to have in-person learning.

If there is a more long-term, or permanent, change to virtual learning, the district would likely have to think about stopping those extra-circulars at that time.

McCauley talks about the situations.

As was mentioned, there are other districts in the state playing sports amid long-term virtual learning, such as Tulsa, Oklahoma City, Owasso and Jenks Public Schools.

Tahlequah Sequoyah and Western Heights are the only districts in the state that are not playing currently planning to play fall sports.

McCauley went on to say that the district is prepared for, and expects, there to be intermittent stoppages, such as the one that Bartlesville is going to on Thursday. Athletics and activities will continue during those times.

As far as the color codes go… Washington County has been a low-risk, or yellow, county for nearly 14 consecutive weeks when judged by the Oklahoma State Department of Health COVID-19 alert system. The county has slowly been moving toward becoming an orange, or moderate risk, county with increased cases over the past two weeks.

McCauley said the district monitors those numbers, but they will also be looked at in conjunction with absentee rates for staff and students, which will be the most important statistic for in-person learning, and athletics, to be able to continue.