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Muskogee superintendent outlines contingency plans after power outages; graduation, track meet set with ticket limits
Summary
At a May meeting, the Muskogee Board of Education heard from the superintendent that several schools experienced power outages, and the district set contingency plans for the elementary track meet and upcoming graduation with ticket and location contingencies.
The Muskogee Board of Education was briefed on community power outages and contingency plans for end-of-year events during its regular meeting.
Superintendent (name not specified) told the board that the district "finally received power, actually today at both Grant Foreman, and we're still without power at Irving Elementary," and said officials hoped power would be restored "this evening" so schools could reopen on schedule.
The superintendent said the district postponed the elementary track meet—originally scheduled for the meeting day—to the following day, and confirmed graduation remains scheduled for Friday with backup dates and times if weather or other issues force changes. "If we do get rain on Friday at 7, we would postpone and go to Saturday at 7. If we don't have it that day, we will go to 02:30 on Sunday, and it will be inside the arena," the superintendent said.
District staff told the board that students will receive 15 tickets for the outdoor stadium setup; if graduation moves inside the arena the ticket allotment would drop to five per student. The superintendent gave venue capacities—about 1,700 seats inside the arena and roughly 8,000 outside at the football field—and said the district set a decision deadline of 5 a.m. on each event day.
Officials also said the district uses a lightning detector capable of sensing strikes up to roughly two miles away and that the detector triggers a 30-minute suspension of activities after a strike is detected. The superintendent said schools would communicate any changes to parents and staff and that senior students would practice in the days leading up to graduation.
Board members asked no substantive policy questions during the report; the briefing concluded after the superintendent finished outlining the schedule and safety procedures.
The district’s decisions leave graduation and outdoor events contingent on weather, electricity and lightning-detection protocol, with ticket limits and earlier decision times intended to give families notice.
