OKCPS Looking To State For Distance Special Education Guidance

Oklahoma City Public Schools said they are not yet sure how students with special needs will be taught under the district’s online plan.

“Our special education kids need us,” OKCPS Superintendent Sean McDaniel said. “Maybe as much as anybody in our school system, they need to be face-to-face in many instances with our teachers.”

However, McDaniel said the current plan is for all students to be taught online for the first nine weeks of school.

“Right now, we’re talking about 100% virtual, we’re not talking about kids in buildings,” He said. “But we want to be flexible we want to be safe and we want to be able to serve our kids at the very highest level within the boundaries that we are provided.”

“She requires one-on-one help,” Misty Pursifull said of her daughter with special needs, Nancy. “She’s not capable of being able to set in front of a monitor and learn the basic skills she needs to learn for school.”

McDaniel said the district will look to a Thursday state school board meeting for guidance.

“We want to see what that guidance looks like and then we can have conversations about special education and based on the guidance we are getting,” he said.