Norman and OU services will close or modify hours for OU's College Football Playoff game on Dec. 19.
This post will be updated as additional closures are announced.
Norman Public Schools
NPS announced in an email to parents Tuesday that school operations will be canceled due to expected traffic and road closures near the university. District offices will close at noon.
The basketball game between Norman High School and Norman North High School has been rescheduled for Dec. 18, according to the email.
“Norman Public Schools is taking proactive steps to ensure the safety of our students, families, and staff. We understand that canceling school can create challenges for families, and we did not make this decision lightly,” the email reads. “However, this decision was made with the safety and security of our students, staff, and families as our top priority.”
NPS Superintendent Nick Migliorino said in a video sent to OU Daily Tuesday that the Sooners qualifying for the College Football Playoff is a good thing for the university, but it can also create challenges.
“What that has done is created a unique situation for Norman Public Schools,” Migliorino said in the video. “I think back to Sunday afternoon when the announcement was made. I don’t even think they were done with the announcement and I was receiving text messages and emails from community members and staff members (asking), ‘What are you going to do?’”
Migliorino said that following the official announcement, NPS leadership went through different scenarios for Dec. 19 and considered the safety of its students. He said there are a lot of aspects that would be affected including transportation.
“We want to make it as safe of an environment as possible,” Migliorino said.
Cleveland County Courthouse
The Cleveland County Courthouse and office building will close at 2 p.m. for anticipated traffic and public safety concerns surrounding the game, according to a Tuesday email from Joy Hampton, public information specialist for the county.
Goddard Health Center
Goddard Health Center announced in an email Wednesday it will be closed for the playoff game and will reopen on Monday, Dec. 22. It will also close for the winter holiday beginning Wednesday, Dec. 24, and will reopen Monday, Jan. 5.
Campus changes
OU’s Norman campus will reschedule the day’s finals and cancel campus operations on Dec. 19, Senior Vice President and Provost André-Denis Wright announced in a mass email Monday.
The Sooners’ game against Alabama will be held at 7 p.m. Dec. 19 at the Gaylord Family-Oklahoma Memorial Stadium. This will be the first time in the program’s history that OU has hosted a playoff game.
This story was edited by Ana Barboza and Anusha Fathepure. Vanessa Essien and Mary Ann Livingood copy edited this story.
