ENID, OK - The Enid Public School Board voted 5-1 at their board meeting in December to no longer follow the current plan on determining whether students and teachers will go into distance learning.
The current plan is based on Oklahoma State Department of Health’s Friday reports of new daily COVID-19 case averages. Numbers are determined on a rolling seven-day average of daily new cases per 100,000 population in each of Oklahoma’s 77 counties. Under that plan, EPS moves to distance if that average reaches over 50 new daily cases.
On Monday, November 16, EPS students went to distance learning after OSDH reported Garfield County had 67.7 new daily cases per 100,000 the Friday before. That number has since stayed above 50 new daily cases each following Friday.
Superintendent Dr. Darrell Floyd recommended the new plan to help get kids and staff back in school. He felt the color-coded system they began in the early Fall painted the district into a corner they couldn't get out of. Dr. Floyd did not read his entire two page recommendation Monday night but gave a summary. The new plan attempts to simplify the procedures moving forward.
Dr. Floyd's plan is centered on two criteria: Does the school have enough faculty and staff to run the campus effectively; and is the building under a 30% threshold of student, faculty and staff being negatively affected by COVID-19, positive cases plus quarantines.
If those two criteria are met then the campus will continue in-person instruction. If one or both of those criteria are not met then only that campus would be shut down and moved to virtual. One campus being shut down would not affect the entire district.
Dr. Floyd said other schools had tried the AB system but found it to be unsuccessful much like EPS has found straight virtual learning to not be successful for students and parents. This plan was created to get the vast majority of students back in in-person instruction. Parents can still opt for straight virtual learning as an option.
This plan will begin in January. Masks and social distancing protocol will continue to be required on campus.
The first day back for students will be Tuesday, January 5, 2021.
