This evening, Chief Operations Officer Jorge Robles presented an update on our COVID-19 health data to our Board of Education. The update included a review of the key data that the district uses to assess health and safety conditions in the district and surrounding areas.

Insights from tonight’s data review include:

Foundational Health Care Metrics

• New case rates continue to fall and have now reached levels at or below the average between August and early November.

Early Warning Indicators

• Case counts for our team were the lowest reported to date.
• Vaccinations:
  • We have the protocols and infrastructure in place to provide COVID-19 vaccination for every employee at Tulsa Public Schools; 
  • We stand ready to support vaccination for our employees as soon as we are given access to the doses we need to get that done; and
  • Vaccine distribution in Tulsa County is managed by the Tulsa Health Department (THD) based on the allotment of vaccines THD receives from the state. 

Foundational System Metrics

• We continue to monitor staffing daily across schools teams and support professionals.
  • School site staffing
    • Monitoring staffing levels daily.
    • Currently 9 schools are in “yellow zone” for absences/leaves.
    • We continue to need substitute teachers to support our school teams.
  • Support professionals - all teams ready to support return to in person learning.
    • Child Nutrition: same status with 7 to 8 new applicants through the pipeline.
    • Transportation: no change from last week. All bus routes are covered.
    • Custodians: all day positions are covered. 11 positions filled plus work with agency to increase coverage for evening shifts.
• We have necessary stock of PPE supplies and are working to stay ahead of supply chain issues.

Vaccinations

• We continue to work closely with the Tulsa Health Department (THD), and we will continue to be relentless in advocating for vaccine doses for every member of our team.
• To date, we have supported the first round of vaccination shots for every employee age 65 and older who wanted to receive it, which is the vast majority of team members in that age group.
• While inclement weather has delayed the second round of shots, we are prioritizing second doses for our vaccination clinics this week.
• We have implemented surveys to help us identify the number of team members in our system with other health risks. This survey is designed to both ensure that we have an accurate count of the number of doses we would need for this high-risk group and to help us continue advocating for access to more doses.
• We have communicated and encouraged our team members to take advantage of the opportunities to be vaccinated through the state, Native American Nations, or the Veterans Administration.

Rapid Testing Program

• Current supply of tests will be used over next few weeks to support return to in-person learning.
• No more tests available for immediate purchase as they are reserved for long term health facilities. Nationwide supply chain issues for CDC approved tests.
• We are working diligently with THD to secure additional test.
• Effort underway this and next week to increase testing opt-in for staff and students.