Deer Creek School Board Moves Forward With Blended Schedule After Parents Protest

The Deer Creek Board of Education moved to continue splitting students between in-person and virtual classes despite a group of parents demanding the district return to traditional learning five days a week. 

Parents and students met outside the Deer Creek Performing Arts & Athletics Center Monday and filled the auditorium, although a large majority of the seats were taped off to ensure social distancing. 

According to the district’s Return to Learn plan, classes are conducted either in-person, virtually, or a combination based on Oklahoma County’s COVID-19 infection rate. 

The Oklahoma State Department of Health updates each county’s rate every Friday via its COVID-19 Alert Map. 

The Return to Learn Plan, which was approved unanimously by the Deer Creek Board of Education, states that classes will be split between in-person and virtual until the county’s infection rate is below 14.39 per 100,000 people for three weeks. 

As of Sep. 10, Oklahoma County’s infection rate was above that threshold. 

“I feel that we should be in full school so that we can get the education that we need,” said Addy Dalke, an 8th-grade student at Deer Creek Middle School. 

Addy’s father, Brian said he’s in favor of switching to only in-person classes because the blended model is worse. He said technical challenges of the online platform and the lack of social interaction results in a lack of learning. 

“(Students are) now really struggling and just trying to survive,” he said. “We just haven’t had really any say in it up to this point.” 

One parent claiming to be the spokesperson for more than 1,000 families in the district was the first to speak during the public comment section of the meeting. They said more than 80% of the district parents were in favor of a complete return to traditional, in-person learning. 

Kristian Onstot, a mother of four students, said the technical issues have been persistent. 

“It’s not working,” she said. My kids get disinterested, they get irritated, they cry.” 

Ranet Tippins, Deer Creek’s superintendent, said more than 90 people made up the committee that created the plan, which referenced guidelines and recommendations from state health and education officials. 

Two Deer Creek Middle School teachers, Laura Crawford and Jena Nelson spoke in favor of the plan at the meeting. 

“I do not think that anyone wants to attend the funeral of one of our own. That would be traumatic to our staff, our kids and our community,” Nelson said. 

Some teachers and staff who supported the temporary blended schedule were booed by members of the crowd. 

“It's very emotional for everybody I promise you,” Crawford said.