A Virtual Heritage Day was presented online beginning at 8 a.m. on Sept.

The Hugo board of education met in regular session on Sept. 14, and approved the employment of two recent Hugo High School graduates, Vincent Gonzales and Sergey Dotsenko, along with Vi- Nikki Nguyen and Tonya Frazier. We welcome these new hires to the HPS team. Several polices were revised and new policies were adopted as recommended by the Oklahoma State School Boards Association. These policies mostly deal with new laws and the pandemic. An agreement with Choctaw County EMS to provide ambulance services for school events was approved. The board revised our school calendar in order to include the four days missed at the beginning of the year. These days will now include a virtual day on Sept. 18 and in-person days on Oct. 2, Oct. 30 and Nov. 13. Our Schooling During the Pandemic Plan was revised by the board to include our new mask mandate. This updated plan along with COVID-19 updates can be found at www. hugoschools.com.

The Tobacco Settlement Endowment Trust (TSET) Board of Directors passed two resolutions today encouraging the adoption of policies and laws to curb obesity in Oklahoma and to protect Oklahomans from the dangers of tobacco.

According to the Oklahoma Department of Health, Oklahoma’s current trend with new positive cases continues to reflect community transmission, which can be reduced by keeping six feet of physical distance from others, wearing face coverings when around individuals from outside the household, avoiding touching your face and regular hand-washing.

DURANT –– The COVID-19 pandemic has made protective face coverings a back-to-school supply for students this semester. The Choctaw Nation is providing high-quality, washable cloth masks for all Native American students attending school in the 10.5 counties of the Choctaw Nation.