Deer Creek Schools votes on plan for 2020-2021 school year

Posted: Jul 30, 2020 / 10:35 PM CDT

Updated: Jul 31, 2020 / 02:30 PM CDT

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OKLAHOMA COUNTY (KFOR) – The Deer Creek School District has voted to start school using a partially in-person approach.

The district will split students into two groups based on their last names. “Group A” will include students with the last names A-K. These students will go to school in person on Mondays and Tuesdays. “Group B” will include students with the last names L-Z. These students will go to school Wednesdays and Thursdays. Fridays will be completely virtual.

“You’ve gotta balance safety with the best academic experience for kids,” said Superintendent Ranet Tippins Thursday night.

The guidelines will be based on the state’s color-coded Alert System. Oklahoma County is currently in the orange rating. Administrators say if the cases continue to rise and Oklahoma County moves into a worse rating, school could be moved 100 percent virtual.

Some parents are not on board with the plan.

“With school starting, I want them back a full five days. This is going to be a nightmare situation,” said Katie Davis, a mother of two third graders.

Davis says her kids wear their masks and are just as safe in school five days a week as they would be two days a week.

“It’s the same to me as being there five days a week. Either way, the same kids are rotating through and you can clean it, you can do what you’re going to do on a daily basis, but the same kids are circulating,” she said.

School administrators say if Oklahoma County moves into the green or yellow zones, which mean cases are lower, school can return to normal with 100% of kids in classrooms.

“It’s the hardest decision that they probably ever had to make. I feel like every decision they make, they fully have our best interest at heart,” said another parent, Jenny Street.

All students who are at home will still be “in class” learning digitally and will be given an iPad or a Chromebook if they need one.

Teachers are expected to be on campus, teaching in their classrooms five days a week.