As the first day of school draws nearer, Oklahoma school districts are rolling out their plans to educate amid a global pandemic. An increasing number of schools are deciding to start off online as COVID-19 cases continue to climb.
Oklahoma City Public Schools was the first to decideto be online only to start the year, announcing in July that school would be conducted remotely for at least the first nine weeks.
Now, a cascade of other districts are making similar plans, meaning at least 100,000 public school students will start off their school years at home.
Putnam City, Western Heights, Yukon, Henryetta and Norman have all announced intentions to start online.
On Monday night, Tulsa and Jenks Public Schools joined them. Tulsa will start the school year with a remote plan of instruction on August 31, while Jenks will begin distance learning on August 24.
The moves online come after Governor Kevin Stitt asked schools to open their doors and offered PPE to help make it happen in a press conference last week.
Many district plans released publicly show that public school districts are also giving a virtual only option to students who fear the health implications of going to school in-person. But smaller districts especially continue to plan for in-person instruction.
