Local school districts plan to start classes next month with a variety of plans that include a full-day in the traditional classroom, online classes or a mixture of both.
The changes from the typical school year are due to the COVID-19 virus, which force schools to shut their doors in March and finish the school year with online classes.
Chandler, Stroud and Meeker will give students a choice of a traditional class schedule, online learning or a mixture of both; North Rock Creek will allow students to go to traditional classes or online learning
Chandler Superintendent Melody Toma said at Monday’s school board meeting that Chandler surveyed families within the district to see if they were interested in various options of attending school.
Out of a survey of 837 responses, 200 didn’t respond, Toma said 75 percent wanted traditional school, 16 percent wanted a completely virtual school and nine percent wanted a blended approach, which would only be available for grades 7 through 12.
“Based on those responses, we’re really trying to accommodate all within our community,” she said. “We’ll be offering three different options for our return to school.”
The first option is a traditional in-classroom schedule.
“The implementation of this plan is subject to change,” Toma said. “It’s based on the best available information and conditions related to the pandemic. The plans will evolve and they could be very fluid. Changes may come when changes become available through the Oklahoma State Health Department.”
Toma said parents will play a critical role in sending their child to school.
“We’re asking that parents take their kids’ temperature everyday before school and if they have a fever of 100 or higher to keep them home for 24 hours,” she said.
Toma said if they choose this plan, parents will need to take the responsibility of screening their child daily for temperature and symptoms.
Toma said there will be the reorganizing of room to maximize space, masks won’t be mandated, but highly recommended, and there will be no sharing materials.
Option two is blended learning with online classes and an option for onsite extracurricular.
“This plan is for 7th through 12th because that’s when the extra curricular activities begin in school,” Toma said.
Option two is online instruction using various platforms, students will be supervised by a Chandler teacher who will make regular contact with the student.
“These students may participant in school sponsored extracurricular activities, however, transportation to and from school for these activities will not be provided,” Toma said. “Transportation will be the responsibility of the family.”
Option three is virtual online instruction. This is offered for Pre-K through 12th grade.
“This is a fully online option,” Toma said. “It’s for families with high risk members or someone who has contracted COVID-19 or anyone else who is just not comfortable sending their kids to school.”
Student who choose this option can not participant in athletics or extracurricular activities.
For the virtual and blended options, an application and interview are required during the July enrollment July 27 – 28.
“We are requiring an interview process for virtual and blended so that the parents, teacher and administration can actually sit down together to talk about what that’s going to look like for that classroom so everyone is on the same page,” Toma said.
For these options, a Chromebook will be provided, as needed, with the existing Technology Use fee, but internet will need to be provided by the family.
Stroud is offering a blended form that encompasses virtual and traditional approach to the 2020-2021 school year, said Superintendent Joe Van Tuyl
“We think this is a flexible and simple approach,” he said. “It will give our parents and students the opportunity to meet their academic needs and any concerns that they have.”
There will be three options, traditional, blended or virtual available to Pre-K through 12th grade.
Van Tuyl said students may not be 100 percent traditional or virtual all the time. There will be times where a traditional student will have virtual work and vice versa.
“It’s really a blended model that incorporates traditional and virtual,” he said.
Students will be assigned to a teacher or schedule. Van Tuyl said the traditional schedule will be a mirror to the virtual schedule, and vice versa.
“There are times set for classes and virtual meetings of those classes will occur at the same time as the traditional classes,” he said.
Chromebooks will be given out to every student and internet connectivity will be given to those who need it.
Virtual students are still allowed to be involved in extracurricular activities.
The first day for Stroud is Aug. 13 with enrollment packets available Aug. 3.
In Meeker, Supt. Jeff Pruitt said Meeker is scheduled to begin the fall term on Thursday, Aug. 13. “That’s fluid, though, at this time,” he said recently.
“We’re not sure what’s going to happen through July and early August,” he has told his board members.
He also explained, “We have three platforms to utilize in teaching the students including traditional learning, blended learning which we already are doing and distance learning.
“The biggest challenge will be for our elementary students and some of our middle school students with distance learning I think. There’s going to be different routines and things we’re not accustomed to doing,” he predicted.
“We have the three basic modes of education because it’s so fluid,” he explained.
North Rock Creek Superintendent Blake Moody said at Monday’s board meeting that students may choose between traditional or online classes, but the district will not be offering a blend of both.
Moody said some elements of NRC’s plan include:
- screening all students and faculty upon entry to school buildings and buses to see if their temperatures exceed 100 degrees.
- Limiting school access to school buildings to students and faculty.
- Requiring all students and faculty to wear masks.
- Postponing assemblies and gatherings of large groups of students.
- Practicing social distancing.
Moody a district survey of parents showed that about 10 percent had an interest in their children participating in online learning.
Chelsea Weeks, Brian Blansett and Mike McCormick contributed to this report.