Oklahoma schools closing for cleaning amid rise in flu cases

Several school districts across Oklahoma are temporarily closing this week for cleaning and sanitization amid a rise in flu cases, sources reported on Tuesday. 

Thursday, January 30th 2025, 10:05 pm

By: Elizabeth Fitz


Several school districts across Oklahoma are temporarily closing this week for cleaning and sanitization amid a rise in flu cases, sources reported on Tuesday. 

“We have just been hit very hard with this cold and flu season. It's been pretty brutal here in Piedmont,” said Riley Thomas, Communications Coordinator for Piedmont Schools. 

One of Piedmont’s schools has eight teachers out sick, the district shared. 

“Eight teachers doesn't feel like a lot, but if you multiply that by 23, you're talking about 184 students who don't have regular classroom teachers right now,” Thomas explained. “And that's eight [substitutes] that we have to have and all those subs that were here last week are sick now.” 

The district said it has only been able to fill half of the substitute teachers needed. 

“We don't have enough subs to fill our classrooms when our teachers are sick. We don't have enough bus drivers to drive all of our routes because they're sick. So, we want all of our staff to know that we're taking care of them too -- by giving everybody a couple of days off,” Thomas stated. 

Parents told News 9 they thought the time off was a good idea. 

“The e-mail I got said the teachers and even the substitutes are coming down with it. So, clean up, give everybody a chance to feel better instead of spreading it and any more kids getting sick-- I think it's a good idea,” said Marquelle Edwards, a Piedmont High School parent. 

On Thursday and Friday, the district said it will clean its facilities. 

“They're going to wipe everything down; make sure all of our Chromebooks are sanitized-- that's a big thing for our elementary schools,” Thomas continued. 

Marietta Public Schools shared in a post on Facebook that it will also be closed on Tuesday and Wednesday for sanitization. 

Deer Creek School District will be moving to remote learning on Jan. 30 and 31 due to staffing shortages associated with the flu outbreak.

In a letter to families Mustang Public Schools announced that they would move to distance/remote learning for Jan. 30 and 31 due to staff absences caused by illness and the inability to secure enough substitute teachers.

Gracemont Public Schools also announced that they will move to virtual learning on Jan. 30 and 31 due to illness. In a post on Facebook, the school said:

"All classes will be held virtually on January 30th and 31st due to a high number of illnesses among students and staff. During this time, we will conduct a thorough deep cleaning and disinfecting of our facilities and buses.
JH games at home tomorrow night has been canceled."

Northwest Classen announced Wednesday that they would also transition to distance learning due to a high number of illnesses. In a letter to families, the school said:

"Due to a high number of staff members who are out sick, NW Classen High School will transition to distance learning tomorrow - Thursday, January 30 - while district teams thoroughly clean and disinfect the building.
All information for distance learning can be found here: https://www.okcps.org/distancelearning."

Dale Public Schools announced all school sites will be closed on Thursday and Friday, due to a high number of illnesses among staff, substitute teachers, bus drivers, and students.

Due to widespread illness, all OKCPS schools will transition to distance learning - Friday, January 31 - while district teams thoroughly clean and disinfect the buildings.

Edmond Public Schools has canceled classes for Friday, Jan. 31 due to high numbers of student and staff absences.

Mid-Del Schools has moved to virtual learning for Jan. 31 due to a high number of absences this week. In a message to families, they said,

"Mid-Del Families -
Due to an increasing number of student and staff absences this week, we are moving to virtual learning for Friday, January 31, 2025. Please note that the Mid-Del Technology Center will continue to have in-person instruction. This decision also has no effect on previously scheduled extracurricular activities."

Norman Public Schools announced on Thursday that all schools would be closed on Jan. 31 due to illness-related absences. They say all extracurricular activities will continue as planned unless otherwise notified by a sponsor or coach.

In a letter to families Bethany Public Schools announced that they will transition to virtual learning on Monday, Feb. 3 to limit the spread of illness. the letter read:

Dear Bethany Families,
Due to the ongoing health concerns affecting both our students and staff, the district will be closed on Monday, February 3rd.
This decision was made in order to provide our families with adequate time to plan and to ensure a 72-hour recovery period for all. On this day, middle and high school students will participate in virtual learning, while elementary students will have a day off. While we typically do not use virtual days for snow days, we believe it is important for our secondary students to utilize this day to catch up on missed assignments and review key concepts. The workload will be light. We encourage elementary students to read or review basic math skills during their time off.
Our first priority as a district is always to provide instruction to students as often as we are able. Still, the measures that have been taken to sanitize throughout the day and evenings have not reduced the number of illnesses we are seeing. The greatest challenge has been covering staff absences and a lack of available substitute teachers to provide safe and effective instruction.
A thorough cleaning of our schools and facilities from Saturday to Monday will be conducted, so all campuses will be closed. Upon returning on Tuesday, the drinking fountains will be temporarily closed and students will be asked to use the water bottle filling stations. 
Please ensure that your child brings a water bottle with them next week.
We understand that this may cause an inconvenience for some families, and we sincerely apologize. Our hope is that this additional day away from school will help prevent further absences due to illness.
Thank you for your understanding and support.
Elizabeth Fitz

Elizabeth joined the News 9 team in October 2024.

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