Tulsa Public Schools launches 2020-2021 School Year Planning Survey

(TULSA, Okla.) Tulsa Public Schools today launched a community survey designed to help inform the district’s planning for the 2020-2021 school year. The survey will be available in English and Spanish on the district’s website at www.tulsaschools.org/2021survey. The survey is open to parents, students, and community members and will remain open through 5 p.m. on Friday, June 12. The district will also gather feedback from teachers and staff through a separate survey. “The voices of the students and families we serve will play an important role in developing our plan for the 2020-2021 school year,” said Superintendent Deborah Gist. “We want to understand how Tulsans feel and what they need to ensure their children are safe and engaged at school. This includes scenarios we hope don’t come about but that we need to be prepared for such as a longer school year that provides more time to disinfect classrooms; staggered schedules to allow for social distancing; or periodic shifts between traditional and distance learning based on rates of COVID-19 infection over the fall and winter.” Tulsa Public Schools is reviewing resources and research from health and safety experts, collaborating with school districts across the country, and learning about what conditions will look like across the summer, fall, and winter in terms of potential rates and spread of COVID-19 infections. Gist said: “We are committed to being together for in-person learning as much as possible based on the most up-to-date health and safety guidance from the Tulsa Health Department. We will be fully prepared to welcome back all of our students full time, if we are able to do so. However, if guidance or directives require periodic shifts to greater social distancing or to distance learning, we want to make sure we are over-prepared to support our teachers, students, and families.” “This is a complex and rapidly-changing situation,” said Gist. “We will be prepared to keep our students and our team members safe and to maximize learning no matter what the public health conditions are.” The district’s survey is available at www.tulsaschools.org/2021survey and will remain open through Friday, June 12. Visit www.tulsaschools.org/back2school for more information about planning for the 2020-2021 school year.