Oklahoma schools prepare for distance learning

Administrators at nearby Oklahoma schools are preparing for students to return to distance learning on Monday after the Oklahoma State Board of Education voted on March 25 to close public school buildings for the remainder of the school year in response to the coronavirus pandemic.

Oklahoma schools closed entirely starting March 17 through April 6, according to the state Department of Education website. The state board of education recommends school districts end the school year during the week of May 8 through 15, the website states.

School districts in Kansas, Colcord and Watts, Okla., are planning to educate students through a mix of paper packets and online learning, according to superintendents.

Teachers and administrators in Colcord began training online and preparing to educate students through distance learning last week, according to Superintendent Bud Simmons. The school district surveyed parents and with partial results in on Friday, Simmons estimated that about 25 percent of students don’t have access to devices or internet at home. The school district plans to use resources such as Google classrooms and Zoom meetings as well as paper packets, he said.

The state is issuing frameworks to guide schools in developing lessons for the rest of the year, Simmons said. Teachers have already covered most essential standards and objectives for the year in preparation for state testing, so they will be focusing on filling the gaps with enrichment and supplemental information so students don’t lose ground before they go back to school in August, he said. The state received a federal waiver for standardized testing this year, he said.

Kansas Superintendent Jim Burgess said his district is still compiling the results of a survey, but estimated on Tuesday that 50 to 60 percent of students have access to internet services and devices at home. He said teachers will be contacting students this week to set up a system for distance learning, including online learning for those with access at home and paper packets for those without.

Watts Superintendent Lisa Weaver said only about 50 percent of students in her district have access to internet or a device at home. The school will be providing students with paper packets starting on April 6, although some high school students will also be learning through Google Classrooms, she said.

All three districts are providing students with meals while schools are closed. Kansas Schools are using school vehicles to provide home delivery along with grab-and-go style meals at school buildings, Burgess said. Watts Schools are serving grab-and-go style meals between 11 a.m. and 1 p.m., Weaver said.

Colcord Schools are providing grab-and-go meals at the elementary school drop-off between 9:30 and 11:30 a.m. as well as various other times at five mobile sites in the district, Simmons said.

With all activities canceled for the rest of the year, graduation plans are uncertain. All three districts are discussing other options, such as holding graduation at another date, planning a virtual graduation or doing a drive-in ceremony, superintendents said.

All seniors will be getting their diplomas, but a ceremony is probably not going to happen, Weaver said.

The school districts are also working to keep noncertified employees working and receiving a paycheck during the shutdown while following Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines of not having more than 10 people in one place at a time. Food service employees as well as other noncertified staff members are helping prepare and deliver meals, the superintendents said. Maintenance employees are also cleaning and sanitizing buildings.

The shutdown is encouraging school districts to think outside the box and collaborate to better serve students and families, which will make schools stronger in the future, Simmons said.

“The biggest concern is to make sure everyone remains safe and we want to do our part to mitigate the spread of the virus as well,” Simmons said. “We are very concerned with that and we want to keep staff and students and families safe. I’m very optimistic we are going to get through this soon.”