Stitt Pushes For Schools to Open Amid Worsening Pandemic As Teachers Wait For Vaccine

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  • Gov. Kevin Stitt, left. (Photo illustration by Whitney Bryen/Oklahoma Watch)
    Gov. Kevin Stitt, left. (Photo illustration by Whitney Bryen/Oklahoma Watch)
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The same day Gov. Kevin Stitt tweeted “kids are SAFE in schools” in a push to open classrooms statewide, Lawton teacher Janette Garton received an email.

“It is with great sadness and a heavy heart…” it began. The announcement said a teacher in her building had died. 

The teacher, Joseph McKenzie, a U.S. Army veteran who taught math and coached soccer in Lawton Public Schools, died Jan. 6 due to complications of COVID-19 at age 59. A family member said he was not exposed at school.

News of his death shook Garton, who was already stressed from the risks of teaching in a pandemic that has killed nearly 3,000 Oklahomans. Like most teachers, she’s still not eligible to receive a vaccine — though she likely will be in the next few weeks as the state progresses through its phased rollout.

Her county is designated “red” under the state Education Department’s risk-level map and, along with most of the state, has been since mid-November. Schools in red counties, which have reported more than 50 positive cases per 100,000 residents, are recommended to pivot to virtual instruction. But her school is open. 

“Most of us, we just feel like a cog in a machine,” Garton said. “It’s like: OK, one teacher died. Let’s just stick a sub in there.

“This is my 31st year teaching and I’ve never felt like this.”

In his calls for schools to immediately bring students back to classrooms, Stitt insists it’s safe to do so. He has said virtual learning is not effective for young students, too many  students are failing in distance learning, and “it’s not fair” for one district to have classrooms open while a neighboring district does not. 

But, if Oklahoma was following its own school safety protocols crafted this summer, no schools would be in-person right now based on the latest data from the state Health Department. 

To support his notion that schools should be in-person, Stitt has misconstrued a study by the American Academy of Pediatrics, drawing swift rebuke from school leaders and others. He also unveiled a new policy loosening school quarantine requirements, contrary to guidance from the Centers for Disease Control. 

Most Oklahoma schools are already open. But the Stitt administration is pursuing an aggressive push to immediately open the ones that aren’t, despite the state’s ranking as one of the worst for coronavirus spread based on test positivity rates and hospital admissions. 

Stitt has ignored calls to implement a statewide mask mandate. But, so far, he has also refrained from requiring on-campus instruction, which Iowa, Arkansas, Florida and Texas have done, according to Education Week

Instead, he’s pushing his agenda publicly on social media; since Jan. 6, Stitt has tweeted at least 18 times to say schools should be allowing students to attend in person right now.  

He criticized Tulsa Public Schools’ recent decision to hold off on bringing students back until after spring break in March, tweeting on Jan. 15 that the school board’s decision was “based on politics instead of the data which clearly shows schools can be reopened safely.” 

And despite his prior disparagement of Oklahoma City Public Schools’ leadership for remaining in distance learning for nearly all of the fall semester, in recent posts, he has applauded the district for beginning to phase-in some students part-time this week. 

Oklahoma City Public Schools’ cautious approach is supported by a majority of its parents and teachers, according to a survey which found 82% of teachers and 63% of parents in December prefered all virtual or a blended schedule in January. 

One thing Stitt and district leaders and educators seem to agree on is that teaching is done best live and in person. But educators say the governor’s insistence that schools are safe for children ignores the real risks facing the adults in the building.  

More than 358,000 Oklahomans have tested positive for COVID-19 since the pandemic began. The state has experienced a surge in cases and deaths since Christmas and New Year’s and is now averaging about 3,000 positive cases a day.

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