Important NPS COVID-19 Update

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WHAT TO KNOW:

• Norman Public Schools will continue to follow the law.

• NPS is experiencing a rate of COVID-19 growth we did not see last year.

• To help mitigate the spread of COVID-19 in our schools, and to allow us to continue in-person learning, masks are expected for anyone in our buildings.

• School visitors are required to wear masks inside our buildings

• In keeping with new guidance from the OSDH and Cleveland County Health Department, any individual who is deemed to have been in close contact with a known positive case of COVID-19 will need to quarantine as a precaution and to help protect the health and safety of others.

Parents,

From the beginning my goal for this year, and the goal of our board of education, has been to do whatever we can within the law to keep our students safely in school. We know students are best served by being together, by being in-person, in school, with their friends and with their teachers.

School has only been in session a short time and already it is clear that if we’re going to make it through this school year with in-person learning, more has to be done to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

State law prohibits us from mandating masks or vaccinations. As a public school district we will not work in opposition to the law, but I am imploring each and every one of you to help us keep our schools open. Help us care for our kids and our teachers. Wear a mask. Get vaccinated. These things are not guarantees, but they are the tools by which we lower our risk and protect each other. They are the tools by which we prioritize in-person learning and minimize disruption to students and families.

The medical community has made it abundantly clear that masks are an effective tool in stopping the spread of this virus. We have seen from experience that masks work. Beginning Tuesday, Sept. 7, it is our expectation that anyone who enters our buildings will wear a mask. All visitors to our schools will be required to wear a mask.

Further, based on all the scientific information and guidance available from the medical community and our local health partners, we know that for those eligible, vaccinations are perhaps the most effective tool we have to combat this virus. I know there are those with serious reservations about vaccination, but I am lending my voice to so many others in asking you to please give serious consideration to getting the COVID-19 vaccination. You can make an appointment today at vaccinate.oklahoma.gov.

Additionally, after new guidance from the Oklahoma State Department of Health on Friday, we’ve worked closely with the Cleveland County Health Department to update our current COVID-19 quarantine practices. In keeping with the latest guidance regarding state laws governing communicable diseases (63 O.S. § 1-505), any individual who is deemed to have been in close contact with a known positive case of COVID-19 needs to quarantine as a precaution and to help protect the health and safety of others.

I know that so much around this pandemic has been politicized. I know that there are very serious divisions in our community and in our nation that challenge us, but this is not about any of that. This is about protecting our students, our staff and our ability to continue in-person learning in Norman Public Schools.

It is time for us to put aside our ideological entrenchment and rise to the Oklahoma standard. To look after our neighbors and lend a helping hand. That is what defines our school community.

I am grateful for your support and your patience and I thank you for everything you are doing to keep our students and our staff safe. We will get through this together.

Sincerely,

Dr. Nick Migliorino
Superintendent
Norman Public Schools

Mission: Prepare and inspire all students to achieve their full potential.
Values: Integrity | Inclusiveness | Collaboration | Optimism

Email: normanpublicschools@norman.k12.ok.us
Website: normanpublicschools.org
Location: 131 South Flood Avenue, Norman, OK, USA
Phone: (405)364-1339
Facebook: facebook.com/normanpublicschools
Twitter: @NormanSchools