Oklahoma schools close for the year

The Oklahoma State Board of Education voted during a special meeting on Wednesday to close school buildings for the remainder of the school year and educate students through remote learning starting on April 6 in response to coronavirus concerns, according to the state’s Department of Education (OSDE) website.

The board also recommends districts end the school year during the week of May 8 through 15, although the final year-end date remains the decision of local boards, the site states.

On March 16, the state Board of Education ordered all accredited public schools to cease operations, effective March 17 until April 6, according to the OSDE. All instructional services, grading, extracurricular activities, staff development, trainings and conferences must cease during the period, however essential clerical and administrative activities such as business management, nutrition services and maintenance may continue, it states.

At the special meeting on March 25, the state Board of Education amended its first order and directed all public schools to suspend all in-person and extracurricular activities and close buildings for the remainder of the year, with the exception of essential services, the OSDE site states. Districts were given until April 6 to begin distance learning plans, it states.

If the required distance learning plans have been submitted and approved by the state, districts have the option to begin providing instructional services sooner than April 6, the site states.

Schools may utilize Seamless Summer meal plans to provide meals to students while the school buildings are closed, the site states.

The state board also took action to cancel state testing, grant school financial flexibility, waive mandates and allow districts the conditional ability to re-hire emergency certified teachers for a third year for the next school year, according to the Oklahoma School Board Association’s website.