Student and School Safety

Tulsa Public Schools has COVID-19 safety protocols in place at all of our school buildings and district sites.

Our expectation is that every adult and student - regardless of vaccination status - wears a mask at all times indoors and outdoors when in the presence of others. Consistent with federal orders for masking on public conveyances from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, masks will be required on all Tulsa Public Schools buses.

We are asking everyone in the Tulsa Public Schools community to practice safe distancing and to stay home if they are experiencing symptoms. Our weekly COVID-19 Case Count includes three measures: reports of potential exposure, reports of confirmed cases, and “close contacts” traced by staff.

Click here to view the weekly case count. Click here for Spanish.

We strongly recommend that all adults and children - regardless of vaccination status - wear masks indoors and outdoors when in the presence of other people. 

• At elementary schools: our masking expectation will remain in place. 

• At middle schools, junior high schools, and co-located middle and high schools: we will continue to recommend masking, but it will not be an expectation.

• At district office sites: we will continue to recommend masking, but it will not be an expectation.  

We will continue to comply with the federal mandate for masking on public transportation conveyances, so all riders and drivers will wear masks traveling to and from school.

• Ventilation: Improved air filtration and/or ventilation systems at each school to minimize the potential airborne transmission of the virus in schools.
• Handwashing and cleaning: Hand sanitizer and hand-washing stations will be available at all sites; disinfectant cleaner and wipes will be placed in classrooms; and custodians will continue the use of electrostatic sprayers in our buildings.

• Quarantine and isolation:

  • Starting Monday, Jan. 3, we will align our isolation and quarantine practices with the CDC’s recent update of the recommended isolation and quarantine period. 

  • Individuals who have tested positive should isolate for five days. If they are asymptomatic or their symptoms are resolving (without fever for 24 hours), individuals may return to school followed by five days of wearing a mask when around others. 

  • For individuals who have been exposed, we will continue to not require quarantining. Students and team members may choose to self-quarantine if they have been exposed. 

  • Symptomatic or positive students or team members should stay at home and monitor their symptoms. 

  • We will continue to share counts of confirmed positive cases on a weekly basis. 

• COVID-19 rapid testing: We will offer COVID-19 rapid-testing for all students in grades 6-12 and all staff who have opted-in to the program. Click here for more information about our rapid testing program. 

• Welcome stations: We will resume the use of welcome stations at building entrances, and adults entering the building will be asked to complete a temperature check; staff will resume use of our Screen and Go app. 

Click here to opt-in to rapid testing

We need your help to make sure this important safety measure is successful! We are asking parents and families to create an account here on Project Beacon to opt their child into the COVID-19 rapid testing program. This is completely optional, but we hope you will include your child in the program and support COVID-19 prevention efforts at Tulsa Public Schools.

Rapid Testing

We are continuing our partnership with the Tulsa Health Department to conduct in-school COVID-19 rapid tests of randomly-selected staff members and students in grades 6-12 once a week. This program is designed to help identify asymptomatic COVID-19 cases early and ensure that affected individuals are immediately isolated and sent home to quarantine.

If a student has a positive test result, is showing COVID-19-like symptoms or has been exposed to someone who tests positive for COVID-19, parents should contact the child's school for an alternative options for the student. Students who are in quarantine will be able to access their work through Canvas.

While we have practices in place to keep our students, team, and families safe, we also have protocols to follow if a student or staff member tests positive for COVID-19, is exposed to COVID-19 through close contact with someone who has tested positive for COVID-19, or has symptoms of COVID-19.

If your child has been exposed through close contact with someone who has tested positive for COVID-19 or has COVID-19-like symptoms while at school, you will be notified by your child’s school by phone and/or email. Please make sure that the school has an accurate phone number and email address for you.

You should keep your child home from school if:

• The answer to any of the Student Health Screening Questionnaire is “YES;”
• Your child or any member of your household is waiting for the results of a COVID-19 test;
• Your child or any member of your household tests positive for COVID-19;
• Your child or any member of your household has been notified of an exposure through close contact with a an individual confirmed to have a positive case of COVID-19; or
• Your child or any member of your household is exhibiting COVID-19-like symptoms, including:
  • Fever (100.4+ degrees Fahrenheit)
  • Feeling feverish (chills, sweating)
  • New cough
  • Sore throat
  • Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing
  • Nausea
  • Muscle aches or body aches
  • Vomiting or diarrhea
  • New loss of taste or smell
  • Fatigue
  • Headache
  • Congestion or runny nose

When the district determines an emergency has occurred, three possible plans of action occur:

1. Go home plan: students return to their homes as quickly and safely as possible. Each school maintains information for emergency contacts for each child.

It is critical that parents and legal guardians advise the school office staff every time emergency contact information changes.

2. Shelter-in-place plan: students stay in their buildings. Typically, inside sheltering is considered a short-term solution. Specific areas of each building are identified as safety zones.

Students in school buildings who are not in classrooms will be escorted by staff to a supervised area and remain there until otherwise notified. No one will be allowed to enter or leave the school for any reason.

3. Evacuation plan: requires that all building occupants exit the building and go to a previously-identified, safe alternate location. Evacuation may mean only going outside and away from the building until an all-clear signal is given. In some circumstances, students and staff may need to be transported and housed temporarily in another location.

What are the categories of lock-downs and intruder alerts?

• Intruder alert: there is an active threat inside the school. It may or may not involve a weapon.
• Lock-down (full): there is a direct threat to the school or to students or faculty outside the school.
• Modified lock-down: there is an indirect threat in the vicinity of the school (e.g., reports of gunshots in area, or a police pursuit that is nearby or may be headed in the direction of the school). Modified lock-downs are by far the most common occurrence.

Who determines when a school goes on lock-down?

Any administrative personnel or law enforcement officer can put a school on intruder alert or lock-down if they believe there is a threat.

What area is affected by the lock-down?

The area of a lock-down is determined by the type of incident and its severity. The Tulsa Police Department or Campus Police will determine the possible area of threat and designate the area accordingly.

 

What are the immediate actions for each category taken by the school?

Modified lock-down: All students are brought inside, all exterior doors are locked and no one is allowed in or out of the building except at the discretion of law enforcement or the principal. Officers may be deployed to the site as a precaution.

 

Lock-down: All students are brought inside, all exterior doors are locked, no one is allowed in or out and all students in the building are moved away from windows or where they might be visible from the outside. Campus Police officers will be deployed to the school.

Intruder alert: Teachers may exercise several options to protect their students; these options are outlined in the Safe School Plan and in the Classroom Emergency Handbooks. Officers will take active response measures under standard law enforcement protocols.

Are parents notified when a lock-down or intruder alert is called?

Parent notifications are made at the discretion of the principal and will be made as soon as possible through the school's social media sites, email, phone call, and/or text message. However, in most cases, a notification may not be made immediately during the event as school teams are focused on keeping children actively protected.

Please do not come to the school to pick your child up during a lock-down or intruder alert. We understand that you want to check on your child's safety, but coming to the school during a critical incident may interfere with our ability to respond to the threat and keep our campus secure.

Many lock-downs, especially modified lock-downs (the most common kind), may be over in minutes. The police may move out of the neighborhood or quickly determine there is no threat.

 

Most modified lock-downs are over within minutes. An intruder alert, on the other hand, is entirely dependent on the threat level. There are no guidelines as to the length of time.

In the event students must be moved to an alternate location, the school will use a number of communications tools including phone, email, social media, and news media to attempt to advise all parents of the alternate location.

Each school has several alternative locations that may be used depending upon the severity of the emergency and the number of school buildings involved. Police, fire, and county and state authorities are aware of the alternate locations for each school. 

In the event of an emergency, schools will communicate with parents through the following channels:

Schools may contact you directly; this is why it is important for your school to have updated emergency contact information for your child.

It is every guardian’s natural instinct to go to the school during an emergency, but doing so may interfere with the school’s ability to effectively and efficiently respond to the situation. We strongly encourage parents to not come to the school during an emergency unless and until directed by the district to do so. In most cases, school district administration and district and local emergency responders are the only individuals allowed to enter or leave the school campus or building during emergencies.

The district will use every communications method available to keep parents up-to-date during an emergency. These include:

• TPS website (updates are posted on the home page);
• Facebook;
• Twitter;
• SchoolMessenger (Tulsa Public Schools can use the SchoolMessenger system to send a recorded phone message or text message if time allows);
• Local news media (be sure to listen carefully for official announcements from TPS); or
• Schools may contact you directly; this is why it is important for your school to have updated emergency contact information for your child.

• Make sure your child's school has the most accurate emergency contact information on file.
• Talk to your child about the importance of following directions and listening to school staff during an emergency.
• Monitor the district communications methods mentioned above.
• Make sure you and your family have a personal disaster plan. Visit the following links for additional resources on talking to your kids about disasters:
  • American Red Cross
  • Ready: Plan Ahead for Disasters
  • Ready: for Kids