Owasso Public Schools high schoolers are going to distance learning for the rest of 2020.
Starting Wednesday, ninth through 12th graders will "Pivot to Home" for the last three and a half weeks of the semester.
District officials said the older students are experiencing the greatest rates of COVID-related absenteeism, and most exposures have happened outside of schools. Owasso is also facing a staffing shortage from teachers being quarantined.
More than one in 10 secondary students currently have COVID or are in quarantine.
Activities will continue as much as possible.
The district intends for pre-K through eighth grades to stay at school in person.
"We are working diligently to evaluate trends that occurred this fall in the hopes of avoiding any students pivoting to home in the spring semester. However, as I have stated since this summer, we can not guarantee the course of our district in the future when these decisions are dependent upon COVID’s path," Owasso Superintendent Amy Fichtner wrote to parents.
Several Green Country districts, including Broken Arrow, Jenks and Union, have recently shifted students to distance learning as well, but they intend to bring students back after Thanksgiving break.
Owasso parents have until Dec. 4 to opt in or out of virtual learning for the spring semester.
