Bartlesville Teachers, Students Prepare for Distance Learning Next Week

Bartlesville Public Schools is switching students to distance learning starting next Monday. The move also puts a halt to all sports and extracurricular activities.  

Teachers and students will have two more days in the classroom: Wednesday and Thursday. It was already the plan for Friday to be a distance learning day, and that will continue all next week, before heading into the winter break.  

Seventh grade English teacher Heather Davis said having distance learning days scheduled throughout the semester helped prepare everyone for this moment. 

"I don't think it's going to be a huge adjustment,” Davis said.  

She teaches at Central Middle School and said she and her students are feeling better prepared to tackle learning from home than they were in the spring.  

"We were just flying by the seat of our pants, just hanging on tight, as best as we could last March,” Davis said.  

Still, there will be challenges.  

"I think that the biggest challenge will probably be just keeping the kids engaged. It is right before Christmas. On a good year that's really difficult,” Davis said.  

Bartlesville Public Schools spokesperson Granger Meador said ICU bed availability was one of the factors that went into the decision to close out the semester from home. 

"Another factor for us was our observed quarantines and isolations in the district. We've seen those triple within the last three days,” Meador said.  

The district said extracurricular activities will be suspended until further notice, beginning on Sunday. 

Tuesday night’s varsity basketball game against Sand Springs is still on, with only family members and season ticket holders allowed. Masks will be required, and the district said social distancing will be expected.  

The district hopes to have in person classes again starting January 4th, but that’s not set in stone.