COVID scare shutters Norman middle school
20 teachers asked for time off to get tested after administrator tests positive
NORMAN — A Norman middle school unexpectedly closed Monday after at least 20 teachers and staff, who feared exposure to COVID-19, requested sick leave to get tested.
Teachers at Irving Middle School asked for paid time off after learning Friday evening a school administrator tested positive for the virus. All of the school's administrators and counselors are now in quarantine.
Norman Public Schools denied the teachers' applications for sick leave and had the school switch to virtual learning on Monday instead. One Norman administrator said the influx of requests was “counterproductive and hurtful” and could have amounted to a contract violation.
Middle school students were supposed to start their first fiveday week of in-person classes on Monday.
Teachers at the school didn't believe contact tracing was comprehensive enough, said an Irving teacher, who asked not to be identified out of fear for repercussions at work. Much of the teaching staff had close contact with the people who are now in quarantine.
“There's some of us that had meetings with these people or we had lunch,” the teacher said. “There's a large portion of us that said, 'Wow, we need to get tested because clearly contact tracing — we don't feel it was all-encompassing.'”
Norman conducts contact tracing based on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's definition of corona virus exposure, which is spending 15 minutes or more within 6 feet of a person who has COVID-19.
The district canceled all requests for Monday sick leave from Irving that were submitted after 10:50 a.m. Saturday, according to a letter from district human resources to Irving employees.
Chief Human Resources Officer Holly Nevels wrote a letter to Irving staff on Sunday, saying the widespread requests for sick leave appeared to be a “work stoppage or force to remote learning.”
The district's system for substitute teachers was overwhelmed with requests from Irving staff, which could have hindered educators at other schools from accessing a substitute, Nevels wrote.
“We value your commitment to a safe return for all, and we also understand that news of your administrative team being quarantined was shocking,” Nevels wrote. “However, intentionally entering leave in a pattern that negatively impacts your Irving colleagues who did not participate, as well as colleagues district-wide who are in legitimate need of a guest teacher due to illness or quarantine orders, is counter productive and hurtful as it would be in any workplace and/ or school district.”
Many of the teachers were unable to get a COVID-19 test over the weekend because time slots for tests were limited, said the teacher who requested anonymity.
The teacher felt ill over the weekend and experienced multiple symptoms linked to COVID-19. They received a negative result from a rapid test on Saturday but learned the school district wouldn't accept that kind of test to approve a return to work.
Despite testing negative, the teacher didn't want to enter a classroom full of students while showing symptoms.
“I actually took the precautions that (district administrators) have always told me to take and now you're telling me that if I don't walk through those doors, even though I still have symptoms … that if I took today off that I would be docked pay and I was going to be written up because I was not positive,” the teacher said.
If a pattern indicates possible abuse of sick leave, the district can require a teacher to provide certification from a health care provider, according to the collective bargaining agreement with Norman educators.
Norman arranged for Irving faculty to get tested with sameday results during Monday's virtual learning day. A district spokeswoman said staff didn't have to use paid leave to take tests on Monday.
“Although Irving teachers were not identified as close contacts to the positive COVID-19 case identified at the school, we recognize that many had concerns, which is why we worked to alleviate their anxiety and transition to remote learning Monday so they could be tested for the virus,” the spokeswoman said in a statement.