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Bartlesville Superintendent Chuck McCauley took to Twitter to thank Governor Kevin Stitt after he announced an increased prioritization for Oklahoma teachers to receive the COVID-19 vaccine on Thursday.

In a press conference held at the State Capitol, Gov. Stitt said he has directed the Oklahoma State Department of Health to move K-12 teachers and support staff who interact with students up to phase two of the State's vaccine distribution plan.

Oklahoma Secretary of Education Ryan Walters said moving teachers up in priority for the vaccine shows that they know that teachers are critical as we continue to fight the coronavirus pandemic. Walters said they know many Oklahoma students are falling behind academically. He said they must do everything they can to ensure that every student has the best education possible while minimizing risks to the best of their ability.

House Education Chairman Rhonda Baker, a former teacher, said they've heard stories about students who aren't just falling behind academically. Representative Baker (pictured) said virtual learning has caused students to have emotional issues, and it has caused them to go hungry without the consistency of school meals. She added that they fear that child abuse and neglect cases go unreported as well.

Gov. Stitt said they want every child to have an in-persom learning option available to them by January 2021. He said you should call your local school board and thank them for giving you that option. He added that another thing you can do to ensure that our students get back to in-person learning includes following the three W's: wash your hands, watch your distance, and wear a mask.

In addition to moving teachers up in priority for the vaccine, the OSDH will also continue to offer schools access to testing to provide frequent monitoring for COVID-19. CDC Director Dr. Robert Redfield has said schools are one of the safest places a student can be, and little evidence exists to show widespread COVID-19 spread has occurred in schools.

Increased vaccination priority for teachers coupled with the recent decision by the CDC to reduce quarantine to 10 or seven days under certain circumstances should give schools multiple tools to fight COVID-19 in this spring semester.

Below is Bartlesville Superintendent Chuck McCauley's tweet on Twitter thanking Gov. Stitt for prioritizing public schools, teachers, and students.

Thank you, @GovStitt from @BPSDBruins! https://t.co/fwS97UUAhw

— Chuck McCauley (@chuck_mccauley) December 17, 2020