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Oklahoma Department of Education Releases Guidance On School Reopening This Fall

The Oklahoma State Department of Education on Wednesday released a comprehensive framework for returning to school next fall.

The 74-page "Return To Learn" plan will help guide schools as they reopen in the fall. The framework includes guidance on School Operations, Academics and Growth, Whole Child and Family Supports and School Personnel.

Department leaders said creating the plan is necessary because of the unpredictability of wide and isolated resurgences of COVID-19 in the fall and learning losses during the spring and summer because of the sudden pivot to distance learning.

“As they plan for the new school year, our districts are now focused on how to recapture learning and ensure the safety and health of students, staff and families," State Superintendent of Public Instruction Joy Hofmeister said in a written statement.

The document leans on CDC guidelines for school reopening and encourages practices to limit the number of people who come into contact with each other. It also calls for strict hygiene and cleaning protocols, including the wearing of masks or face coverings by students and staff, as well as the flexibility to change plans when necessary.

What parts of the guidance to actually use will be up to individual school districts as they form their own plans for reopening.

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