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Oklahoma In-School Quarantine Experiment Abandoned

facebook.com/MustangSchools

A program trumpeted by Oklahoma health officials late last year that would allow students exposed to the coronavirus to quarantine together in school has been abandoned.

In December, Oklahoma Commissioner of Health Lance Frye said the program was key to alleviating stresses on students and schools created by a multitude of COVID-19 exposures.

"It's an innovative way to safely keep kids in school so we can continue their academic studies, and will give us more data to drive our response to the virus," Frye said.

The plan to quarantine students exposed to COVID-19 in school ultimately never came to fruition. Interest was low in Mustang Public Schools - where it was piloted, and it was widely criticized by health and education advocates.

A state health department spokesman says new CDC guidance allowing for shorter quarantine times after exposure ultimately made the plan obsolete.

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Robby Korth joined KOSU as its news director in November 2022.
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