OKC school district closes Wednesday for walkout
Staff Writer twillert@oklahoman.com
Oklahoma City Public Schools will be closed to students again on Wednesday, the eighth day since teachers were in the classroom.
Officials also announced the district would open the Capitol Hill High School field house to out-oftown teachers for overnight stays Tuesday night, if necessary. The district had planned to host traveling teachers Monday night but closed the facility when no one registered, spokeswoman Beth Harrison said.
The field house is available free of charge for overnight stays as long as the statewide teacher walkout lasts, provided district schools are closed the following day, officials said.
Capitol Hill Principal Adam Jewell has compared the arrangement to a sleepover or teacher “lock-in,” calling it a place “where we can all get together and talk.”
Teachers would sleep on wrestling mats placed on the gym floor for comfort, and visitors can use the showers in the men’s and women’s locker rooms.
There will be an extra police presence and a nightly registration deadline of 10 p.m., officials said.
Educators who live more than 60 miles from Oklahoma City and would like a place to rest and recharge at no cost to them can go online to www. okcps.org/site/Default. aspx?PageID=3248 to register and get more information.