OKC Public Schools Will Go Virtual, Tulsa Public Schools Still Undecided

Students in the state's largest school district will start the school year virtually and a little later than initially planned.

Oklahoma City's board of education made the decision during a meeting last night.

The Oklahoma City Public Schools Superintendent will answer questions this morning at 10-30 after the district announced it will go virtual the first nine weeks of the school year, meaning students will learn online from home.

The board also decided to push the start date back to August 31, a few weeks later than originally planned.

Were told teachers and administrators will use the extra time to complete additional training and come up with plans on how to navigate the start of the school year virtually.

Superintendent Dr. Sean McDaniel and the board expect challenges but said it's a decision they had to make.

“The safest way to educate, as identified by the CDC, is virtually,” said OKCPS Deputy Superintendent Jason Brown.

“Decisions we make have everything to do with the safety and welfare of employees, kids, of families, of visitors. We have kept that in the forefront,” McDaniel said.

Tulsa Public Schools pushed its start date back to August 31, but the district hasn’t finalized other plans for the upcoming school year.

The district is looking at in-person, distance learning or a hybrid of both. TPS will make a final decision on August third and said the district will base its plan on the latest COVID-19 numbers at that time.