At a State Board of Education meeting on Wednesday, Oklahoma State Superintendent Joy Hofmeister will propose the continuation of distance learning until the end of the school year.
If the proposal goes into effect, school districts will be expected to provide distance learning beginning Monday, April 6th. In a press release, Hofmeister said the Oklahoma State Department of Education will offer resources and guidance to pursue distance learning. In addition, the agency is exploring how federal assistance could bolster digital connectivity for some districts. In the press release, Hofmeister was quoted as saying the following: “Many districts across our state have utilized online instruction already and likely will be able to hit the ground running. Other districts have significant technology limitations, while some might opt for instructional materials delivered to students. There will be a wide range of approaches and it will be far from ideal, but necessary as we embrace these changes and even sacrifice to protect the public health of our communities.” Standardized testing and the Oklahoma School Report Cards for the 2019-2020 school year have been suspended because of a waiver from the United States Department of Education. Over the weekend, District One Commissioner Randall Jones asked Osage County District Attorney Mike Fisher what he should do if a county employee believes he or she may have the coronavirus, but that employee is without sick leave. At Monday's Board of Osage County Commissioners meeting, Fisher gave his response to everyone in attendance.
Jones said one of his employees felt ill so the employee attempted to get a test, but was unsuccessful in doing so. Osage County Emergency Manager Jerry Roberts said if you feel like you may have symptoms of the coronavirus, it is best to check with your primary care doctor first. In light of the coronavirus outbreak across the country, Monday's Board of Osage County Commissioners meeting was held at the Osage County Fairgrounds in Pawhuska. The commissioners signed an emergency disaster proclamation for the county and emergency manager Jerry Roberts says this will help get relief to the county at a quicker rate.
Osage County District Attorney Mike Fisher reported that he would be meeting with health officials in Pawnee County regarding the coronavirus death in that area over the weekend. Osage County has yet to have a positive coronavirus test, but Pawnee County borders Osage County to the south and west. The commissioners agreed to purchase a metal detector for the Osage County Courthouse out of Tulsa for just over $4,900 and will also be receiving a flatbed trailer for the Osage County Fairgrounds for just over $2,500. The commissioners signed an inter-local agreement with the town of Fairfax. There was also one utility permit signed at the meeting for district one. The next regularly scheduled Board of Osage County Commissioners meeting will take place net Monday at 10 o' clock in the morning. That meeting will also be held at the Osage County Fairgrounds. The Dewey City Council signed a resolution Thursday afternoon that will help to curve the spread of the COVID-19 virus. With this resolution, Mayor Tom Hays hopes to limit the number of people at events and gatherings in public venues. Hays added some advice for Dewey residents.
The resolution includes the following declarations:
Pawhuska Public Schools will begin offering free breakfast and lunch for any student under the age of 18.
Breakfast will be served at the Elementary circle drive from 8 a.m. to 9 a.m. and lunch will be served at the Elementary circle from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Meals will also be delivered to the following locations: The Meadow Glenn Addition, 9th and Prudom, 17th and Bighill, St. Paul and Old Highway 99, 1122 E. 13th Street and Sunset and Bayliss. These meals will arrive free of charge in a school vehicle daily until school resumes. Breakfast will be served around 8:30 and lunch will be served around 11:30. Children must be present to receive their meals. Due to concerns over the COVID-19 virus, the Board of Osage County Commissioners will meet at the Osage County Fairgrounds Agriculture Building so that those in attendance won’t be so close to one another. The Osage County Courthouse continues to be closed off to the public.
At the top of the meeting, there will be possible action taken to sign a disaster emergency proclamation for Osage County. The commissioners will consider transferring $300,000 worth of funds within the health department. This was on the agenda last week, but nobody from the health department was on hand to explain why they need the money to be transferred so the commissioners decided to table the item. The commissioners will talk about quotes regarding putting a new metal detector inside the Osage County Courthouse. The commissioners will also look to sign an interlocal agreement with the town of Fairfax. The meeting begins at 10 a.m. for those interested in attending. There has yet to be a positive test of the coronavirus in Osage County, but Emergency Manager Jerry Roberts says he is running out of protective gear such as masks for county employees. Roberts has asked for help, but has had little response from those at the state level.
Roberts was planning on speaking with the Oklahoma Department of Emergency Management again on Thursday afternoon in hopes of finding a solution because working conditions are beginning to get dangerous for certain employees. Roberts says it is best for the residents of Osage county to continue the practice of social distancing and stay indoors as much as possible. An election emergency was declared on Wednesday for 74 counties holding elections in the state of Oklahoma on Tuesday, April 7th.
Oklahoma State Election Board Secretary Paul Ziriax says this emergency declaration will require county election boards to accept resolutions adopted by governing bodies of school districts, municipalities, technology districts and counties to move that election date to another day. Regular and statutory elections could be rescheduled to the next available election date of June 30th. Special elections could be rescheduled for any other election date, as permitted by law. Washington County and Osage County are both scheduled to hold elections on the April 7th date. Oklahoma public schools are scheduled to open back up on Monday, April 6th, but after Kansas Governor Laura Kelly made the announcement that she was closing schools for the remainder of the semester, that is no guarantee. Barnsdall Athletic Director Kylee Sweeney is hoping Oklahoma schools will resume normal operating hours because his senior class deserves a proper sendoff.
The Panther baseball team most recently won the Caney Valley tournament. Sweeney added that Braden Kelley is a returning state champion in the high jump and Michael Marin was a state qualifier in the long jump. He said other individuals have shown abilities to compete for a state title as well. Sweeney said his coaches have sent out workout plans so that their athletes can stay in the best possible shape during this extended break. The city of Bartlesville saw several power surges throughout the night in light of the severe weather that passed through the area, but Corporate Communications Director for PSO, Stan Whiteford said there were few outages.
As of 11 o' clock there were five power outages reported in Bartlesville. |
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