BPSD Pandemic Guidance
Relaxed & simplified protocols to begin on January 3, 2022
Interested parents have the opportunity to have children ages 5 and up fully vaccinated for COVID-19 before the end of 2021, so the district is planning to relax and simplify its protocols for second semester, which begins on January 3, 2022.
The biggest changes from the current protocols are:
The current Orange 1 level will be folded into the more relaxed Yellow level, which allows field trips, visitors, indoor student assemblies, etc.
The current Orange 2 level will become simply Orange and will still ban field trips but will allow authorized parents and volunteers past front offices and allow indoor student assemblies so long as 6-foot distancing is feasible.
The Red level will not change.
Vaccination Clinics
Complementing this change, the Washington County Health Department will be offering free public walk-in COVID-19 vaccination clinics which offer first, second, and booster doses of the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines to eligible ages and groups, with no appointments needed:
Madison Middle School at 5900 Baylor Drive
Friday, December 3 from 12:30-2:30 p.m. (which is a District Virtual Learning Day) with another there on Tuesday, January 4 from 4-6 p.m.
Anyone receiving a first dose of Pfizer or Moderna at the 12/3 clinic can get their second dose at the 1/4 clinic at Madison
Jane Phillips Elementary School at 1500 S Rogers Avenue
Tuesday, December 14 from 4-6 p.m.
Anyone who received a first dose of Pfizer or Moderna at the 11/16 clinic at Jane Phillips can get their second dose at the 12/14 clinic there
The Pfizer vaccine will be available to anyone ages 5 and up, but those under the age of 18 must have a parent with them or a consent form filled out in advance. Moderna is only available to those 18 and up.
COVID-19 vaccinations are NOT required, and the district does not expect parents to solicit medical or vaccination advice from district staff. We urge parents with questions or concerns about vaccinations to contact a pediatrician. Some pediatricians and several local pharmacies offer vaccinations, while questions regarding the public vaccination clinics should be directed to the Washington County Health Department at 918-335-3005.
The district’s current COVID-19 protocols and weekly alert level are posted at BPSLearn.com. Answers to vaccine FAQs are available from the Oklahoma State Department of Health and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Yellow through December 4
Orange 1 December 5-11
Alert Level
The district’s COVID protocols vary with its five alert levels: Green, Yellow, Orange 1, Orange 2, and Red. The alert level is determined during the school year by the average of district cases and city cases (or county cases if city data is unavailable). It is updated & posted at BPSLEARN.COM each Wednesday afternoon.
Precautions
The CDC says the best precautions against COVID infection include vaccination, masking, distancing, and contact tracing.
vaccinations
County and state health departments and the CDC recommend COVID vaccinations for those who are eligible. No Oklahoma public schools require COVID vaccination of students, and the only time someone would need to reveal if they are vaccinated or not is if they were voluntarily requesting an exemption from a quarantine. We do not expect students or parents to solicit medical advice from Bartlesville Public Schools personnel, as such advice should come from trusted health care providers.
The Washington County Health Department (WCHD) often partners with the district to offer free public walk-in vaccination clinics at our schools. Those of ages 5-17 must have a parent or legal guardian present or a consent form from the WCHD filled out in advance. Call the WCHD at 918-335-3005 if you have any questions.
masks
The CDC and the American Academy of Pediatrics recommend that everyone wear masks when inside schools to help preserve in-person instruction. The district recommends that all persons wear an approved mask inside our schools and in buses when we are in the Orange 1, Orange 2, and Red alert levels.
The district provides a cloth Bruin mask for each student upon request and has surgical masks available. The CDC published that wearing a cloth mask over a surgical mask for a tighter fit provides an 83% reduction in exposure for the wearer. A surgical mask alone with knotted ear loops & tucked in for a tight fit provides a 65% reduction in exposure for the wearer.
Masks for Kids from Dr. Eva Enns, Univ. of Minn. School of Public Health
Masks for Kids with Links from Dr. Linsey Marr, Virginia Tech
distancing
At least 3-foot spacing is a goal in classrooms, with up to 6 feet when feasible. The current alert level affects indoor student assemblies, indoor and outdoor venue capacities, and third-party use of school interiors.
If you have any “A” symptoms or 3 or more “B” symptoms, stay home until you get a negative PCR test. If you do a rapid or antigen test, false positives are quite rare, so a positive result is considered confirmation you have COVID-19. But a negative result from an antigen test is false about half the time, so if you get a negative rapid test result, proceed with PCR testing and stay home until you receive a negative result.
getting tested
A family doctor is the best place to start.
The Washington County Health Department at 5121 Jacquelyn Lane sometimes offers testing; call 918-335-3005.
Axis Health Care: 2431 SE Washington Blvd Ste. B; 918-335-2273
Access Medical Care: 2334 SE Washington Blvd; call 918-331-9184
contact tracing
The district will continue to publish its case tallies.
Parents must notify the school if a child or someone living with a child tests positive for COVID. A school contact tracer will calculate how long the child must stay home, and all unvaccinated household members are expected to quarantine.
At the Orange 1 and higher alert levels, the district will send SchoolMessenger voice, text, and email messages to parents of a child who shared a classroom with a person with COVID, instructing them on self-monitoring for symptoms for 14 days. However, such contacts will only be quarantined if so ordered by a contact tracer with the county or state health departments OR if there are indications of significant classroom spread.
District COVID-19 Pandemic Procedures
Click here for complete details on the district’s pandemic procedures, which of course are subject to change as we continue to learn more and adapt to the evolving pandemic.
Please always contact a student's teacher(s) for Distance Learning assignments & assistance.
Many elementary teachers rely on Google Classroom and, when appropriate, packets. Middle and high school teachers rely on Canvas.
