Union Public Schools Manages In-Person Learning With Simple Precautions

While Tulsa Public Schools considers a phased return to school by December 1, other large districts like Union Public Schools have had students in class for weeks now.

Union Public Schools started the year in-person, with masks required. They believe they’ve managed to continue school by taking simple precautions that work.

Other than masks on everyone and less crowded hallways, things look normal at Union High School. In one 10th grade Pre-AP English class, every student was wearing a mask. The room isn't big enough to fully separate them, and some desks are empty because the students are home in quarantine.

Union's Director of Secondary Education John Federline said they've increased cleaning, mandated masks, and carefully traced positive cases to isolate the people around them.

"Our community, our parents and kids have been so cooperative with that," Federline said. "We've had several instances where we've asked kids without symptoms to go home and quarantine and several days later they've tested positive, so in that sense, our system is working."

Students and staff are required to wear masks at all times, except during lunch. When students ride the bus, they're wearing masks. At the high school, positive cases have led to small groups of students being sent home, but no entire classrooms, and no major disruptions.

"With my students who are in person, in person consistently now, it's fine. They're learning," Union High School teacher Natasha Smith said. "My class sizes being smaller has actually made my ability to work with them one-on-one a lot better, and their ability to learn is really good right now, for my in-person students."

She worries about her students at home, however, connected only through the computer.

"It's doable for right now, but for long-term, I'm scared what the end result will be, how their education will be affected and what the end result will be," Smith said.

About a third of the students from the high school are purely online and will be for the time being.

The virtual option at Union has grown from 30 students last year to over 3,000 this year.