Union school district bus driver Raymond Marks opens the door before Darnaby Elementary students get on the bus after school on Friday. Worsening COVID-19 infection rates across the Tulsa metro have led to debilitating staffing shortages among bus drivers and substitute teachers throughout suburban districts.
Union school district's Darnaby Elementary student bus captain Grace Conatser helps students get on the bus on Friday. Worsening COVID-19 infection rates across the Tulsa metro have led to debilitating staffing shortages of bus drivers and substitute teachers throughout suburban districts.
Worsening COVID-19 infection rates across the Tulsa metro have led to debilitating staffing shortages throughout suburban districts, resulting in a near total shutdown of secondary schools.
Districts are suffering from a glaring absence of bus drivers and substitute teachers this school year. The impact of these losses have escalated in recent weeks to the point that superintendents are deciding to transition older students — and some younger ones — to distance learning for the next few weeks.
In the past two weeks, Bixby, Broken Arrow, Union, Glenpool, Skiatook and Jenks all have announced they are moving secondary students to distance learning until after Thanksgiving break.
The trouble for Bixby escalated earlier this month when a bus driver tested positive for COVID-19, and six others were quarantined for two weeks due to close contact. This led to an immediate loss of about 20% of the district's drivers.
There also was the problem of not having enough long-term substitute teachers to fill the rooms of teachers who were being quarantined.
"The bad metaphor that I've been using is how much weight can you put on a camel's back before it breaks? You can put this amount minus a straw," Bixby Superintendent Rob Miller said. "And I think we've got to that point where we continue to add straw to the weight and because of the surging numbers in the community, which are then being mirrored in our schools, we have reached the point in many of our districts where it's just not feasible to keep functioning."
Miller said the district has tried everything it can this fall to keep schools open because administrators understand the impact that closures have on many families. Ultimately, however, the priority is to keep people safe while also operating within the district's reduced ability to manage schools effectively.
Although elementary schools have been unaffected by the closures for the most part, Bixby Public Schools did order North Elementary School to switch to distance learning after the entire administration office was quarantined.
Bixby students, like most of those being affected at other districts, are expected to resume in-person instruction after Thanksgiving break on Nov. 30. Miller said the goal is to take it day to day and milestone to milestone.
"We're just trying to manage," Miller said. "If we can get to Thanksgiving, then we're looking at can we get to Christmas?"
Substitute
On Thursday, Union Public Schools reported that 19 employees were in isolation after testing positive for COVID-19, while another 102 were under quarantine for exposure.
With that many staff members out, it's difficult to continuously supply enough substitutes and replacements to fill those positions. Teachers have been asked to cover other classes during their planning periods. Union also brought in a third-party company this year to help boost the district's substitute numbers, but it hasn't been enough to prevent school closures.
On Nov. 6, Union had 126 out of about 680 total teachers out of the classroom due to quarantines, said Jay Loegering, executive director of human resources at Union.
Additionally, more than 30% of Union's bus drivers are under quarantine, and the district has not been able to maintain the number of routes needed to bring secondary students to school.
"Between that and then our local (COVID-19) numbers, we felt it was time to slow it down a little bit," Loegering said.
Only one of Union's elementary schools, Boevers, has transitioned to distance learning after nearly 25% of students there were quarantined.
Most elementaries, Loegering said, are able to avoid closures because students generally stay in the same classes with the same children. With less intermingling, the district usually can just send an entire class to distance learning instead of an entire school.
In a normal year, Broken Arrow Public Schools typically operates with about 17% of teachers absent on a given day. That number has skyrocketed this year, reaching a high of about 54% last week. That meant about 120 teachers were out each day.
"You can't have schools function with that percentage," said Lori Kerns, assistant superintendent of personnel and administrative services at Broken Arrow Public Schools. "In normal years, you can pull classrooms together or put a couple classes in the gym if needed, but we have gone to the extreme to make sure that kids have a very limited exposure. We're not allowing any combining of classes this year, so that makes it even more difficult right now."
Video: Dr. Bruce Dart talks about Tulsa Public Schools' return to in-person instruction.
COVID-19 basics everyone needs to know as the pandemic continues.
How it spreads, who's at risk
Studies have shown many infected people show no symptoms or have symptoms so mild they may go undetected; those people can still transmit COVID-19 to About 20% of patients diagnosed with COVID-19 require hospitalization.
The disease can be fatal, especially for vulnerable populations: those older than 65, living in a nursing home or long-term care facility, and anyone with underlying health conditions such as diabetes, heart disease, lung disease or obesity.
Science of virus spread
COVID-19 is spread mainly from person to person via respiratory droplets produced by an infected person. Spread is most likely when people are in close contact, within about 6 feet. A person might also be infected with COVID-19 after touching a surface or object that has the virus on it and then touching their face. According to the CDC, evidence suggests the novel coronavirus may remain viable for hours to days on surfaces, though that form of transmission is said to be minor.
Transmission between people more than 6 feet from one another may occur in poorly ventilated and enclosed spaces, the CDC says, especially where activities cause heavier breathing, such as singing or exercising.
The infectious period for patients can begin up to 48 hours before symptom onset.
List of symptoms
The CDC recently expanded its list of possible symptoms of COVID-19. The symptoms can appear from two days to two weeks after exposure.
- Fever or chills
- Cough
- Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing
- Fatigue
- Muscle or body aches
- Headache
- New loss of taste or smell
- Sore throat
- Congestion or runny nose
- Nausea or vomiting
- Diarrhea
This list does not include all possible symptoms and will continue to be updated by the CDC. One symptom not included is "purple toes," which someone may experience with no other symptoms, sometimes several weeks after the acute phase of an infection is over. The coloration and pain is caused by a lack of blood flow to the toes caused by excessive blood clotting, a late-stage concern with COVID-19 infections.
Kinds of testing
Those getting tested may experience different kinds of swabs. The viral test, known as PCR, involves a deep nasal swab that can be painful.
Other tests that require less-invasive swabs may produce results faster, but with less accuracy. These should not be used diagnostically.
It is not yet known whether COVID-19 antibodies can protect someone being infected again or how long protection might last.
Testing in Tulsa County
Testing at state-run sites can provide results in about 7-10 days. Tulsa Health Department, using a mix of public and private labs to process about 600 specimens weekly, provides results within an average of three calendar days.
Click here to set up an appointment at the following locations:
- North Regional Health and Wellness Center, 5635 N. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.
- South Testing Location, 8414 E. 101st St. South
More testing sites:
OU-Tulsa, 4502 E. 41st St, Tulsa, OK 74135
OU-Tulsa Wayman Tisdale Specialty Health Clinic, 591 E. 36th St. North
OSU Center for Health Sciences, 1111 W. 17th S.
OSU Medicine Healthcare Center, 2345 Southwest Blvd.
Walmart locations: 2019 E. 81st St., 207 S. Memorial Drive, 2301 W. Kenosha St. (Broken Arrow)
CVS locations: 4107 S. Harvard Ave., 8010 E. 51st St., 2351 N. Ninth St. (Broken Arrow), 751 W. Tuscon St. (Broken Arrow)
Access Medical Care, 2929 S. Garnett Road
Morton Comprehensive Health Services, 1334 N. Lansing Ave.
Tulsa ER & Hospital, 717 W. 71st St.
Med Express, 2140 S. Yale Ave.
MCI Diagnostics, 7018 S. Utica Ave.
IMMY Labs
NOHS, 6732 E. 41st St.
Contact tracing
Each confirmed COVID-19 case on average has approximately
36 close-contacts, according to Tulsa Health Department. Health officials investigate every positive case and help each person retrace his or her steps during their contagious period. Close-contacts then are called for notification that they might have been exposed to COVID-19. Some smartphone apps can help with contact tracing. For those unsure if a tracing call is legitimate, the Tulsa Health Department call center is at 918-582-9355. Contact tracers will never ask for Social Security numbers, bank information or credit card information. Information requested by contact tracers: date of birth, address and any additional occupants in the home who may also be at risk of exposure. Close contacts are those who have been within six feet of a positive case for at least 10 minutes.
Associated Press file
Isolation or quarantine?
Quarantines can help prevent virus spread before a person knows they are sick. People in quarantine should stay home and separate themselves from others.
For those planning in-person holiday events at home, the CDC suggests that hosts ask guests to quarantine for 14 days before the gathering.
Isolation is used to separate people with the virus from those who've not been infected. Those who need to isolate should stay home, separated from others in the household, including pets.
The 'serious seven'
The "serious seven" refer to close contact environments where residents should take extra precautions if they choose to attend. The seven are gyms, weddings, house gatherings, bars, funerals, faith-based activities and other small events, according to Tulsa Health Department Director Bruce Dart.
Treatments being investigated
The FDA has allowed for antiviral drug remdesivir, previously tested on humans with Ebola, to treat more severe cases of COVID-19 in adults and children. Safety and effectiveness aside, preliminary studies have shown it can shorten recovery time for some patients.
After previously approving an emergency use authorization, the FDA as of July 1 cautions against use of hydroxychloroquine or chloroquine for COVID-19 outside of the hospital setting or a clinical trial. A review of safety issues includes reports of serious heart rhythm problems and other safety issues, including blood and lymph system disorders, kidney injuries, and liver problems and failure.
Convalescent serum therapy
Some patients are receiving convalescent serum, meaning the antibodies made by people who have recovered after a COVID-19 infection. Antibody-rich blood plasma is being given to severely or critically ill COVID-19 patients, including Ascension St. John, Saint Francis Health System, OSU Center for Health Sciences and Hillcrest HealthCare System in Tulsa.
From June to July, requests for convalescent plasma from the Oklahoma Blood Institute multiplied seven-fold.
Recovery, as defined by CDC
To be considered recovered (without a test), these three things must happen, the CDC advises:
- No fever for at least 72 hours (three full days of normal temperature without the use of medicine)
- Other symptoms improved (no more cough, etc.)
- At least 10 days since symptoms first appeared
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November 16, 2020 at 07:00AM
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Districts face significant staffing issues, forcing them to close schools and send students to distance learning - Tulsa World
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