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) offers free public walk-in vaccination clinics at Madison Middle School twice each month. Those of ages 12-17 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.

• District staff may request, on a contracted work day, a BinaxNOW rapid test conducted by District Nurse Lisa Foreman by contacting Kerry Ickleberry, the Director of Health & Safety.

• No-cost testing may be available at CVS and Walgreens.

• You can call the Washington County Health Department at 918-335-3005 about the slower but more reliable PCR testing. They are located at 5121 Jacquelyn Lane.

• 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.