Oklahoma Families, School Leaders Face An Uncertain Semester

As a new year brings kids back into the classroom, the COVID-19 pandemic has once again cast a shadow over it all.

"We do have questions," Broken Arrow parent Angela Liter said. "We don't know what's coming."

Parents, teachers and school administrators across Oklahoma are wondering what's next as an uncertain semester begins.

18 months ago, schools were caught off guard by COVID-19, with most sending kids home for the rest of the 2020 spring semester. Districts have developed their own safety plans with varying levels of masking rules, quarantine guidelines and virtual learning options.

As the 2021-2022 school year beings, many districts hoped all of that was behind them.

"We really were hoping for a return to normal,” Union Public Schools’ Chief Communications Officer Chris Payne said.

After a drop in cases in the spring and early summer, COVID-19 cases are back on the rise as the Delta variant spreads across the country. State Superintendent Joy Hofmeister is well aware of the challenges ahead.

"Families, teachers, as well as staff are feeling a little bit nervous,” Hofmeister said. “It feels in some ways like a repeat from last year."

This summer, school boards and leaders across Green Country developed their own, unique back to school safety plans. Those plans cover everything from contact tracing to quarantines to transportation rules. One thing out of local districts’ control is masking.

"We have parents who are very concerned,” Tulsa Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Deborah Gist said.

Gist has been outspoken about her district's expectation that all students and staff wear a mask, but a law passed by the state legislature this spring bans districts from mandating masks.

Senate Bill 658 is being challenged in court and just last week the Tulsa school board voted to let the district consider legal action over the law.

While attorneys and politicians battle over the details, superintendents across the state are simply preparing for another year.

“There was no blueprint for what we experienced over the last 18 months," Claremore Superintendent Bryan Frazier said. “Doesn't matter how long you've been a superintendent. Doesn't matter how long you've been a principal. Nobody could draw on anybody's past experiences."

Frazier said he and his district have learned a lot the past three semesters, from being flexible to keeping kids safe and in the classroom.

Kids want to be face-to-face; parents want their kids in school. We want the same thing,” Frazier said.

Frazier said his district has improved its online and virtual learning options since the start of the pandemic. Other Green Country superintendents, like Chuck McCauley in Bartlesville, say the same thing.

"We are now competitive with online charter schools,” McCauley said. “We now have a device for every student, staff member."

McCauley said this allows the district to adjust as needed. In Bartlesville though, fewer and fewer kids are enrolling in the virtual learning option.

"Last year, over 20 percent of our students started off virtual and this year, even with the Delta variant, it's less than 1%,” McCauley said.

It's something leaders in other districts are also noticing too, as more parents want their kids physically in school. In Jenks, only 58 students have enrolled in the virtual option. In Owasso, it's 3% of students.

"One of the things that is exciting to see is the energy in the air as our children come back to their physical school buildings," Owasso Superintendent Dr. Amy Fichtner said.

While those physical school buildings may have some extra cleaning this year and a few more rules, all the superintendents who spoke with News On 6 said they're ready to be back and ready to help kids succeed and be safe.

"We're more equipped as we move through this,” Fichtner said. “We'll be glad when we don't need to use that knowledge and COVID is in the rear-view mirror.”