Space created for online students
During amid-day study break, Eva Lamb rushed inside the City Center youth facility and returned with a no-touch infrared thermometer.
A small group of students were shooting hoops on the outdoor court at City Center in Warr Acres. Lamb dutifully pointed the thermometer at each of their foreheads to take temperatures.
Lamb, a seventh grad er at Kenneth Cooper Middle School, has been coming to City Center for more than a year. She said she“immediately fell in love” with the center, where she could help out and meet her friends at the after-school program.
Now, the youth center is effectively her classroom.
Her school district, Putnam City, started the year with virtual l earning because of the COVID- 1 9 pandemic, which left Lamb and her older brother at home while their mother works during the day. Lamb decided coming to City Center was a better option.
“There' s tutors that can actually help me with work, and my brother — he's doing his own online school, too, so I can't really bother him,” Lamb said. “And so, here I can ask more questions and actually get out of the house for a little bit and have fun with my friends.”
Site Director De Angelo Rhodes said City Center originally intended to host only children of Putnam City teachers during school days, but staff reconsidered. An average of 25 to 30 students a day come to the center from a variety of districts. Oklahoma City University sends tutors from its Department of Education to help with classwork.
“We started talking about this before last school year ended, like what are we going to do when school' s not in session?” Rhodes said. “I was like, well, there's more than just teachers' kids who need the help, so we opened it up to everyone.”
City Center is one of many
locations in the metro area to take in students needing a space to do virtual schoolwork. Non- profits, community centers and churches have converted themselves into virtual learning hubs, where students attend online lessons and finish homework on computers and Apple iPads.
Oklahoma City Parks is hosting 130 students in kindergarten through eighth grade for a free Virtual Academy across eight community centers. The city department offers free WiFi, meals and activities for children whose schools are teaching remotely, Parks Director Doug Kupper said.
Three churches in northeast Oklahoma City have become remote learning sites, partnering with the Urban League of Greater Oklahoma City, Life Changes & Wellness, and Freedom City Inc.
Four students use a study space at the Homeless Alliance while they virtually attend Northwest Classen High School.
The four girls had no internet at home, and their district-provided hotspots were tied up in shipping delays, said Ran ya Forgotson, director of social enterprise for the Homeless Alliance.
The students were part of the organization's sno cone stand, Sasquatch Shaved Ice, which supports low-income youth. Once the school year started, the Homeless Alliance offered them an office space with free WiFi.
“I think we all are struggling right now,” Forgot son said .“It' s just harder for folks that are in lower-wage jobs or blue-collar jobs. They might not have as much flexibility with their hours and schedules. I think that's why it' s important that places like this are opening up to try and provide relief during the day so parents don't have to worry about kids being at home.”
About 80,000 students in the Oklahoma City metro area saw their entire school district start the school year online, not including the virtual system Epic Charter Schools, which has grown into the largest school system in the state.
Other school districts, such as Edmond Public Schools, adopted a hybrid schedule that brings students to school only two days a week.
School closures and alternate schedules have created a heightened need for childcare among families and working parents.
Putnam City teacher Noel Wisniewski works from her fifth-grade classroom, but she isn't permitted to bring her children with her.
Her daughter is old enough to be self-sufficient, but her son Corbyn, 8, is too young to be left at home unsupervised. He's been coming to City Center during the week to take online classes and play with other students.
“It' s a huge relief ,” Wisniewski said. “They feed him and take care of him, and I hear all about the games that they play and going outside and playing basketball. I know he's safe, and that's the big thing.”