State Superintendent Joy Hofmeister On COVID-19 Situation In Schools

State Superintendent Joy Hofmeister is speaking publicly about school precautions, local administration decisions and extracurricular activities amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

On Monday, State Supt. Hofmeister spoke with a panel of doctors put together by News 9 political analyst Scott Mitchell.

Across the state, its safe to say there are quite a few parents that are not happy. In Stillwater parents are trying to take legal action to get kids back in the classroom. In Putnam City, Edmond and Deer Creek parents or students have been protesting their districts COVID response.

During the panel State Supt. Hofmeister said administrators are trying to figure out the best way to educate their students, and it's been very difficult. The panel spoke about out of the classroom activities, like football, what data districts are looking at and what's the process behind those tough decisions.

State Supt. Hofmeister said that goes beyond just students. Districts have to think about staffing as well. 

"When school districts make decisions it's going to be because often times a lack of substitutes, an overwhelming numbers of students placed in quarantine or because community spread in a community is so high," said State Supt. Hofmeister. 

She also reminded viewers the world outside the classroom impacts what happens inside, and there's no one recipe for districts to follow.

To watch the full panel head to the Mitchell Talks Facebook page.