(Oklahoma City, OK) “This was not an easy decision to make,” said Oklahoma City Public School Superintendent Karl Springer, but because of the large number of OKCPS students who walk to school and the dangerously cold temperatures expected over the next two days; we are closing schools for the remainder of the week.
“Our concern is about the safety of our students who walk to school or wait outside for buses, said Springer. “The majority of our students walk up to two miles to school each day; in this type of weather that is a life threatening trip that we don’t want our students to have to make.”
More than 11,000 students within the district are eligible to ride a bus to school, meaning they live within a mile and a half of a school, but the larger population of students walk to school.
“This decision means, we are counting on our parents even more to take the necessary steps to ensure the safety of their children over the next two days.
Oklahoma City Public Schools conferred with Jeffrey Goodloe, MD, Medical Director of the Emergency Medical Services Authority before making the decision to close schools. EMSA is the largest provider of pre-hospital emergency medical care in the state and Goodloe is an expert in emergency and disaster medicine.
“Shutting down the largest school system in Oklahoma is a significant event,” said Goodloe. “I’m glad I don’t have to make that decision; but from a medical concern standpoint, these types of temperatures are a significant medical risk.”
Goodloe said children lose body heat quickly if they are exposed to sub-freezing temperatures. Such rapid heat loss can lead to hypothermia or frostbite. According to the Centers for Disease Control, hypothermia (or low body temperature) occurs when a person’s body begins to lose heat faster than it can be produced. Too low of a body temperature affects the brain, making the victim unable to think clearly or move well.
The CDC defines frostbite as injury to the body that is caused by freezing. Frostbite causes a loss of feeling and color in affected areas (most commonly the nose, ears, cheeks, chin, fingers and toes). Frostbite can cause permanent damage to body parts and, in some cases, the need for amputation.
Springer said the choice of whether to close schools for inclement weather is typically more obvious when snow and ice on the roads make it difficult for buses to run their routes.
“In reality, [this weather event] is probably more dangerous than a typical snow day,” said Goodloe. “Just because there may not be significant precipitation doesn’t minimize the dangers of sub-freezing weather.”
“In this case, we really had to weigh a different kind of risk,” said Springer, “and we determined our students would be safest indoors. We can always make up the learning time.”
OKCPS will notify families and staff of the school closure via the news media, okcps.org, facebook, twitter, and phone messaging to parents and staff.
All 12 month OKCPS employees will be required to report to work.
