OKCPS To Brings Students Back For In-Person Classes 4-Days A Week In April

After surveying parents, hours of school board debate, and consulting with local health officials, Oklahoma City Public Schools says it's bringing students back to class four days a week starting on April 6th.

Students will be in class Tuesday through Fridays, Mondays will be reserved as a virtual learning day.

The district says the Oklahoma City-County Health Department supports the shift to more in-person learning.

OKCPS says they chose April 6th to bring students back because hundreds of teachers will be fully vaccinated by that point.

The district says more than 50% of staff have received at least one dose of the vaccine, and this timeline allows more staff to get vaccinated before the return if they want to.

The return date is also a few weeks past spring break, giving the district a better opportunity to monitor possible symptoms after the break.

"We need to bring a sense of normalcy back; we think our kids need it. We think our mitigation efforts outweigh associated with bringing kids back," said OKCPS Superintendent Sean McDaniel.

If students signed up for the online learning option, they will learn virtually for the rest of the school year.