Tulsa Public Schools is dedicated to getting students connected and keeping them engaged during distance learning. While distance learning is a new experience for all of us, we are proud of the work that has been put in on every level – in homes, schools, and communities across the city – to give students opportunity for success during this time.

Beginning in the weeks leading up to school, our school teams participated in 1,130 hours of targeted professional learning opportunities so they would be prepared to support students remotely.

Through the support of Tulsans in the 2015 bond, Tulsa Public Schools provided 35,000 Chromebooks and 11,000 hotspots for schools to distribute to students during Back to School Week. Schools also handed out books, workbooks, and school supplies.

The district offers tech support for Chromebooks which families can access by emailing studentVL@tulsaschools.org anytime or calling 918-833-TECH on Monday-Friday from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. There is a video library on our website to help students and families navigate logging in, Canvas, Zoom, and more.

Many schools are offering on-site help for families who need it, and team members are doing neighborhood and home visits to connect with students and families. Schools in the McLain High School neighborhood have partnered with the Tulsa Housing Authority to set up satellite office hours four days a week at four apartment complexes to help families any way they can.

These efforts are showing early results in helping students, families, and schools stay connected during distance learning. From week one to week three of the school year, student participation on distance learning platforms climbed from 73 percent to 92 percent, and participation continues to increase steadily.

We know that students and families are experiencing some challenges with distance learning, and we are grateful for the continued feedback from families on what is and is not working. We are listening to that feedback and using it to improve consistency in how students experience our learning platforms.

Our support teams are also working across the district to keep Tulsans safe and healthy. Our child nutrition team has served 1.8 million meals to Tulsa children at our meal sites and on our mobile meal routes so far, and they continue to provide breakfast, lunch, and dinner meals to children under age 18 free of charge. Our facilities staff cleans and sanitizes 7.8 million square feet of school and building space every day and have delivered or installed more than 80,000 pieces of personal protective equipment across 78 school and district sites. We are working with community partners to expand access to supports for basic needs and childcare as well.

Our leadership team is preparing to make a recommendation for the mode of instruction for the second quarter of the school year. We are talking to students, parents, teachers, staff, building leaders, medical experts, and public health officials to make a decision that will keep students safe and learning.

Superintendent Gist plans to make a recommendation in early October, and the Board of Education will consider and take action on that recommendation in mid-October. Those meetings can be watched here. Quarter two begins on November 9 after an intersession week from November 2 to November 6. Click here for the full 2020-2021 calendar.