Oklahoma Gov. Stitt authorizes state employees to substitute in schools as COVID cases surge

As skyrocketing COVID-19 cases deplete schools and max out hospitals, Gov. Kevin Stitt said he authorized employees of state agencies to substitute teach to stave off pandemic-related school closures.

The governor announced an executive order on Tuesday authorizing state agencies to allow their employees to substitute in public schools. Just under 32,000 people work for the state of Oklahoma.

Those who cover classes will receive their regular state government wages and benefits, officials said.

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"I'm asking all state employees to see what they can do because in-person learning is so, so important," Stitt said in a news conference Tuesday.

Meanwhile, Oklahoma City's four major health systems say they're out of beds and at their breaking point.

Oklahoma recorded multiple single-day record highs for new infections this month as the ultra-transmissible omicron variant fuels the latest surge.

"We've got record cases right now in the state of Oklahoma," Stitt said. "It's the highest peak we've had just like every single other state. So, regardless of policy and what any state has done, every state is seeing COVID positives go up."

More than half of Oklahoma's 540 school districts and charter schools announced closures in the first two weeks of January, according to tracking by StateImpact Oklahoma.

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Schools cited overwhelming staff shortages, caused by a high volume of COVID-19 cases, that undercut their ability to teach, feed and transport students.

Stitt's plan to keep schools open didn't include any measures to reduce the spread of the virus.

State schools Superintendent Joy Hofmeister called the executive order "a cup of water on a raging fire." She said more impactful measures would take only a stroke of the governor's pen.

"As the State Superintendent, I ask the governor to take meaningful action now," said Hofmeister, who is running against Stitt as a Democrat in the 2022 gubernatorial election.

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State agencies themselves face critical staff shortages, said the Oklahoma Public Employee Association, a union representing state government employees. The union urged agencies to outline clear rules for employees wishing to substitute and to guarantee the program won't impact core services.

However, Oklahoma's largest state agencies are, for the most part, at full capacity and aren't experiencing shortfalls in staffing, said state Chief Operating Officer Steven Harpe.

The Oklahoma State Chamber announced Tuesday a Guest Educator Initiative to link members of the business community to schools in need of substitutes.

But a substitute shortage is nothing new, said Katherine Bishop, president of the state's largest teacher union, the Oklahoma Education Association.

Districts have been battling it throughout the school year, she said, by contacting employment agencies and seeking outsourced substitutes.

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Some, such as Oklahoma City Public Schools, have increased substitute pay with federal coronavirus aid.

"We welcome substitutes in our classroom," Bishop said during a news conference Tuesday. "It does not replace the the high-quality educator that stands in front of (students)."

Oklahoma City's top health systems — Integris Health, Mercy Hospital, OU Health and SSM St. Anthony — say their facilities are at capacity and emergency rooms are packed with patients waiting for an open bed.

Hospital leaders urged Oklahomans to consistently wear masks, avoid indoor gatherings, get vaccinated against COVID-19 and take a booster dose if eligible.

State leaders could help by amplifying that message, said Dr. Kersey Winfree, chief medical officer for SSM St. Anthony.

"I'd say that omicron has been a test for us, a true test in what we've learned from the past," Winfree said a Tuesday news conference. "I just regret to say that we're not really doing very well in that test because of all the inconsistencies and how we message about what we know works."

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Oklahoma Children's Hospital has the most pediatric COVID-19 patients of any point in the pandemic, and the number of children forced to cancel surgeries because of a positive test has increased dramatically, said Dr. P. Cameron Mantor, acting chief medical officer for OU Health.

About 30 children are hospitalized with COVID-19 at OU Health, six or seven of whom are in the intensive care unit, he said.

Forty-eight children are hospitalized with the virus statewide, according to data from the Oklahoma State Department of Health.

"What I can tell you is that what we're seeing today over the past two weeks is so different than we've seen over the past two years from a children's perspective," Mantor said.

Reporter Nuria Martinez-Keel covers K-12 and higher education throughout the state of Oklahoma. Have a story idea for Nuria? She can be reached at nmartinez-keel@oklahoman.com or on Twitter at @NuriaMKeel. Support Nuria’s work and that of other Oklahoman journalists by purchasing a digital subscription today at subscribe.oklahoman.com.

This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Gov. Stitt executive order allows state workers to substitute teach