Following Thanksgiving break, Broken Arrow Public Schools students will utilize the following schedule:
Students in grades Pre-K through 5
Students in grades 6 through 12
Winter break will take place Dec. 21 to Jan. 1 for students.
“The ZIP codes within our district are continuing to experience a significant rise in COVID-19 numbers, which means we are seeing an increasing number of students, teachers and staff being impacted by the virus,” Superintendent Dr. Janet Vinson said. “When we combine these numbers with a shortfall of substitutes, bus drivers and key personnel, we must continue to wisely utilize our resources as we try to mitigate and manage through the spread of the virus.”
As of today, the current number of student positive cases in the district is 42, with 796 quarantined due to close contact. For staff, there are 36 positive cases, with 140 quarantined due to close contact. In order to keep elementary students in school, we’ve had to utilize the secondary support staff to shift to the elementary levels to fill in the gaps left open by elevated absenteeism and a shortage of substitutes. We have also adjusted bus routes to the schools that remain open so that we can continue service with our limited number of drivers.
All staff will report to work as normal, unless under quarantine.
Child Nutrition will provide free meals to students ages 1-18 during the work week outside of closed school sites from noon to 1 p.m.
Should students need in-person support while distance learning, they are encouraged to visit their school site/teacher at any time during normal school hours.
“Our administrators and teachers WANT to help during this difficult time, so we want any student who is struggling academically while at home to please visit with their teacher. We want to do everything we can to make sure students are continuing to succeed,” Vinson said. “In addition, a new routing plan will be announced Dec. 3 to help offset our bus driver shortage to hopefully get everyone back in their classrooms for the second semester. This will also aid in preventing late arrivals or a complete shutdown of our entire transportation fleet. As always, thank you for your patience as we continue to move forward during the pandemic.”
This plan of action is subject to change based on current data after we return from break. For more information, please contact your child’s school site or teacher.
UPDATED: Tuesday, November 17, 2020, 12:57 PM CST
Parents, Teachers and Staff of Broken Arrow Schools,
First of all, I want to sincerely thank all of you for helping us make it through our first nine weeks of school with no closures. This speaks volumes about how much our BA family values in-person learning and the profound influence our teachers have on our students.
Unfortunately, current COVID transmission in Broken Arrow is at an all-time high, making it impossible to manage employee absences, specifically our bus drivers and classroom teachers. What we are experiencing mirrors the significant uptick of local community spread that has resulted in major increases in positive cases and quarantines for our students and staff— currently a combined total of more than 700 districtwide. The sudden swift increase in the community and district COVID cases has led us to some important decisions.
Out of an abundance of caution and safety, we have decided to move all 9th through 12th grade students to distance learning starting Monday, Nov. 9, and concluding Friday, Nov. 20. This time period will precede the Thanksgiving holiday break previously scheduled from Nov. 23-27. Students will return to regular instruction on Monday, Nov. 30.
And as of Tuesday, Nov. 10, students at Centennial Middle School and Sequoyah Middle School will also be moving to distance learning through Friday, Nov. 20. Those students will return to regular instruction on Monday, Nov. 30, as well.
And as of Thursday, Nov. 12, students at Oliver Middle School, Oneta Ridge Middle School and Childers Middle School will also be moving to distance learning through Friday, Nov. 20. Those students will return to regular instruction on Monday, Nov. 30, as well.
And as of Wednesday, Nov. 18, students at Aspen Creek Elementary will also be moving to distance learning through Friday, Nov. 20. Those students will return to regular instruction on Monday, Nov. 30, as well.
Students in all other grades and school sites across the district will continue in-person learning, unless directed otherwise by your site principal. Aspen Creek Early Childhood Center will continue to be on distance learning as well. All staff will continue to report to work as normal, unless under quarantine.
Child Nutrition will continue to provide meals daily during the work week outside of the school sites from noon to 1 p.m.
In most cases, students who are involved in seasonal sports and activities will be able to continue participation in practices and competitive events. Individual coaches and activity coordinators will contact their students with additional instructions and guidelines tomorrow.
We are disappointed that the increase in COVID absences has crippled our ability to safely transport students and conduct classes at several sites, however, we did plan for this situation extensively as part of our Re-Entry Plan, thus making it a bit easier to make the transition to distance learning. Hopefully this break from in-person learning will help us to hit the reset button so we can go forth with a strong finish to the semester.
I want to thank students and parents, for consistently doing the right thing by coming to school in masks, practicing social distancing inside and outside the classroom and adhering to guidelines set forth by the Tulsa Health Department and the CDC. It’s those practices that will keep us in school and thriving over the months to come.
Sincerely,
Dr. Janet Vinson
Superintendent
Broken Arrow Public Schools
Are you interested in making a difference in the lives of our students? Broken Arrow Public Schools is holding a bus driver hiring event on Monday, Dec. 7, in the parking lot just north of the Education Service Center on Main St., from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. The human resources department will also be on site to discuss benefits and to help people apply for positions.
Did you know?
Fill out an application today! Questions? Please contact the transportation department at 918-259-4550.
To assist in obtaining the flu immunization, Broken Arrow Public Schools is teaming up with the Tulsa Health Department and the Caring Van program to offer free flu immunizations in November and December to eligible students.
A registered nurse will be available at the school sites to administer a free injectable flu vaccine to students who:
Please note that if the student does not meet at least ONE of the above criteria, he or she will be referred to a private physician for the flu vaccine.
A parent/legal guardian can complete one of the following forms and return it to the Caring Van registered nurse. A parent/legal guardian must accompany their student.
If a school site is closed due to distance learning, the Caring Van will still be available on the scheduled date. The Caring Van will be at the following school sites:
Friday, Nov. 20
Monday, Nov. 30
Wednesday, Dec. 2
Friday, Dec. 4
Thursday, Dec. 10
Tuesday, Dec. 15
For more information about the Caring Van, please contact BAPS Health Services Coordinator Linda Aycock at 918-259-5700.
Broken Arrow Public Schools is partnering with TEAM Clinics, an Oklahoma based technology company, to provide high-quality, immediate medical care to children where they are – at school. The district is currently one of only a few in Oklahoma who offer this service to its students.
TEAM Clinics is currently available at every elementary and secondary school site. At this time, it is not available at the early childhood centers. Parents MUST opt-in to this service by completing registration forms via this flier.
“We wanted to provide our students with more accessible medical care, so we are partnering with TEAM Clinics to provide quick on-site healthcare to students using technology to expedite diagnosis and treatment, ” said Derek Blackburn, executive director of student services. “This partnership with TEAM Clinics will provide a tremendous value to our families. Currently, TEAM Clinics can diagnose various illnesses, including strep and flu, rashes, common colds, etc. Rapid COVID tests should be available soon.”
TEAM Clinics expands the school’s abilities to serve their children by connecting nurses, licensed healthcare providers, parents and children for efficient, immediate healthcare. With the use of telemedicine technology, the TEAM Clinics provider can assess the child’s medical needs. TEAM Clinics visits are covered by most insurance companies.
“An illness isn't just hard on your child, it affects your whole family,” said CEO of TEAM Clinics Trevor Nutt. “Parents and other members of the family often rearrange their schedules and have to miss work to take their child to the doctor. We came up with a convenient way for children, who are already at school, to see a licensed healthcare provider. The parent can be at the appointment either via video or in person at school.”
How does Team Clinics work? When a child is not feeling well, he or she makes a visit to the nurse's office. The nurse and licensed healthcare provider, use telemedicine devices and if needed, use an on-site lab to run tests. This allows parents and licensed providers to see, hear and be a part of the visit from the very beginning to the end. The provider can make a diagnosis and send prescriptions, if necessary, to the pharmacy.
“We’re proud of the high-quality medical care we can provide our communities, and we want to give back as much as we can to support them,” said Nutt.
For more information, visit www.teamclinics.com or contact student's school site.
Broken Arrow Public Schools has a free mobile app to provide parents, students and families with the latest news and information from across the district. This mobile app is available on both Apple and Android devices and was designed as a one-stop-shop to access school news, calendars, Parent Portal accounts, lunch menus, bus stop information and more. It also gives students and parents the ability to easily report bullying or a threat.
In addition, the mobile app can be customized by the user by selecting schools in which they will push notifications, news and calendar updates.
Download the app:
How to receive push notifications from certain school sites:
For more information, please contact the district’s communications division at 918-259-5700.
