Although Governor Kevin Stitt has relaxed the COVID-19 protocol for Oklahoma educators, Seminole Superintendent Bob Gragg has decided to continue erring on the side of caution.

In a press conference held Tuesday, January 12, Governor Stitt, Commissioner of Health Dr. Lance Frye, and Secretary of Education Ryan Walters, announced the newly updated COVID-19 guidelines which have been put in place for Oklahoma schools. According to the Governor, from this point forward students or teachers who have been exposed to someone who has tested positive for the virus will no longer be required to quarantine if the exposure occurred in class, while all protocols were being followed. However, Commissioner Frye did state that schools should continue to quarantine students if the exposure happened in a case where protocols were not followed or if the exposure occurred outside of the classroom.

In response to this change, Superintendent Gragg affirmed that, although he is appreciative of Governor Stitt’s efforts to be flexible in regard to local COVID containment issues, he is wary of deviating from the guidelines laid out by the Center for Disease Control (CDC) out of fear that it could lead to an increase in risk for both students and staff. “We have not made any definite decision regarding the governor’s proposal,” asserted Dr. Gragg. For now, Gragg said they plan to “lean toward continuing to follow CDC guidance, listen to our local health department officials, listen to advice from our Seminole School Nurse/ Chief COVID Officer, and will likely engage our district-wide Solutions Team before we would make any changes in regard to first level contact tracing and the resulting quarantine protocol.”

During Tuesday’s press conference, Dr. Frye also made the announcement that vaccines for teachers over the age of 65 are set to begin this week and that vaccines for all teachers should soon be available as well. Alongside this, the Health Department has plans to begin double testing as well as increasing the masks and other Personal Protective Equipment administered to schools.

State Superintendent Joy Hofmeister has come out in critique of Governor Stitt’s alterations, stating that although there is “no doubt we all want our students and teachers to be safely in the classroom,” she “cannot in good conscience support ignoring quarantine guidelines from the CDC and other infectious disease experts.”