Urgent Update on Changes in Student Learning Modes

“Throughout the pandemic, we have continued to closely monitor COVID-19 data in our district, city, and county. We are in near-daily contact with the Tulsa Health Department, as well as a group of medical professionals, including pediatricians,” TPS Superintendent Deborah Gist said in a letter to parents and faculty on Monday. “Based on our conversations with Tulsa Health Department Executive Director Bruce Dart over the weekend and our own district health data review process, I have made the difficult decision to shift all of our students in pre-kindergarten through 3rd grade back to distance learning through the last day of classes before winter break, Friday, Dec. 18. This shift will include students in our special education programs.” What does this mean for students in pre-kindergarten - 3rd grade? Students in pre-kindergarten, kindergarten, first, second, and third grade will move to distance learning effective Wednesday, Dec. 2. Students will have one more day of in-person classes on Tuesday, Dec. 1. Students will stay in distance learning through the last day of classes before winter break, which is Friday, Dec. 18. What does this mean for students in 4th - 6th grades? Students in 4th, 5th, and 6th grades will continue in distance learning through the last day of classes before winter break, which is Friday, Dec. 18. What does this mean for students in middle, junior high, and high school? Students in middle, junior high, and high school will continue in distance learning through the last day of classes before winter break, which is Friday, Dec. 18. Students will continue to have access to Care and Connect hours at their schools; services will continue to be available by appointment only. Student athletes will continue to participate in winter sports following the safety protocols we have in place. What does this mean for students receiving exceptional student support services? This shift to distance learning includes all of our students in level 3 and 4 special education programs and our deaf education programs. We will prioritize resuming in-person learning for our exceptional students in these programs inclusive of deaf education as conditions improve. Our Exceptional Student Support Services team will contact the families of students in these programs to share more information about support services in a distance model. We will continue to provide breakfast, lunch, and supper meals for all Tulsa children ages 18 and under. We will serve “grab-and-go” meals at all of our school sites on weekdays from 10:30am to 12:30pm. Our Mobile Meals bus stop services will continue, and we will post updated routes on our website later this week. Visit www.tulsaschools.org/meals for more information about student meal service. Our Board of Education will hold a work-session on Monday where we will discuss our current COVID-19 health data in greater detail, but here are a few important things to know about why I made this decision: Tulsa County’s 7-day rolling averages have significantly increased and are expected to continue to increase following the Thanksgiving holiday; Nearly all Tulsa zip codes are in the Tulsa Health Department’s “red” zone; and The Tulsa Health Department has advised local school districts that “it is extremely risky to conduct in-person learning.” The Board of Education’s work-session begins at 4pm, and you can watch the livestream of the meeting at tpstv.viebit.com. We will also post our health data presentation on our website at www.tulsaschools.org - please look for that in the “What’s Happening at TPS” section of our website by 6pm Monday. We will continue to share information and updates on our website at www.tulsaschools.org; please bookmark it and check back often. Please be safe: wear your mask, wash your hands often, and watch your distance.