On Tuesday, September 8th, middle and high school students returned to in-person classes on an alternate schedule. Officials are watching closely to make sure it is safe to continue coming each week. 

Safety precautions are being taken by each school very seriously, which include, one-way hallways, social distancing in the classrooms, a mask mandate, and more. 

A statement was released from the district earlier this week that stated: 

“If an Orange Level 1 status (or lower) is reported Friday, Sept. 11, middle and high school students will report to school on either an alternate schedule or a full-time, traditional schedule on Monday, Sept. 14. Due to the short week and fluctuating data coming in from the Oklahoma State Department of Health, we will closely monitor the situation this week and will provide more definitive information this Friday regarding next week’s instructional plan. 

If an Orange Level 2 is reported Friday, Sept. 11, middle and high school students will continue to report to school on an alternate schedule for one week (Monday, Sept. 14 through Friday, Sept. 18) as they transition to remote learning for the following week, beginning Monday, Sept. 21, if Cleveland County remains Orange Level 2. Continuing in-person education for one week before transitioning to remote learning allows families to prepare for remote learning and also provides teachers with time to prepare their remote learning schedule and plan instruction on Canvas and Seesaw. 

If Red Level is reported Friday, Sept. 11, middle and high school students will not report to school and will instead follow remote learning schedules the week of Sept. 14.”

An update was given this afternoon from Norman Public Schools about what next week will look like. 

“In-Person Learning Update – Friday, Sept. 11

As a reminder, we provide weekly updates regarding the status of in-person instruction. Each Monday, a forecast for the following week is provided. Each Friday, after Oklahoma’s Covid-19 Alert System is updated, we confirm the following week’s instructional plan. These updates are applicable only to those students who are enrolled in the traditional/remote or blended learning options. Students enrolled in the full-time virtual option will not be affected. 

The Covid-19 Alert System was developed by the Oklahoma State Department of Health and has been adopted by the Oklahoma Department of Education. The alert system does not differentiate between Orange Level 1 and 2. However, according to the Oklahoma Department of Education, Orange Level 1 is defined as more than 14.39 but fewer than 25 cases per 100,000 people, while Orange Level 2 is defined as more than 25 but fewer than 50 cases per 100,000 people.  

• ELEMENTARY STUDENTS: Cleveland County is currently Orange Level 2. Elementary students enrolled in either our traditional/remote or blended learning options will continue to report to school for in-person instruction on Monday, Sept. 14.

• MIDDLE AND HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS: Cleveland County is currently Orange Level 2. Middle and high school students who are enrolled in traditional/remote or blended learning options will continue to report to school on an alternate schedule Monday, Sept. 14. 

We have also received questions about positive case numbers districtwide. Currently, we have received notification of 19 positive cases across the district from Aug. 31 through Sept. 10. Impacted schools at this point are Eisenhower, Kennedy, Reagan, Irving, Norman High and Norman North. Beginning next week, we will provide weekly updates that will be available to the public. Next week’s report will include information from Saturday, Sept. 5 through Friday, Sept. 11.”