Educators Concerned About Governor’s Call To Return To Classroom After Christmas

Some educators are pushing back on Governor Kevin Stitt’s goal to have every student in the state back in the classroom after Christmas.

They said with COVID-19 cases rising across Oklahoma, Stitt’s hope for a return to in-person learning isn’t realistic.

Governor Stitt said the state can’t mandate every district to return to in-person learning, so they’re asking families to put pressure on districts. The president of the Oklahoma Education Association said more needs to be done to control COVID-19 first.

The Tulsa Health Department said Oklahoma is losing the battle against COVID-19, in rural and metropolitan areas. With Thanksgiving, Christmas and other holidays around the corner, educators say the state needs to put more safety measures in place.

Oklahoma Education Association President Alicia Priest said they believe a statewide mask mandate is necessary to keep cases down.

"Our students are traveling from community to community for different events, and so they're being exposed to people who aren't wearing masks, and being exposed to COVID," Priest said.

Governor Stitt put a mask mandate in place for employees in state buildings, but stopped short of addressing changes for school districts. Stitt said in-person learning is safe enough and said districts should fully re-open after the holidays.

"The way our system works, we have local control in place. We have locally elected school boards and superintendents that have to make that call," Stitt said.

He said he's going to be pressing for Oklahomans to help him make that goal a reality. Priest said the administration's vision is unrealistic if they don't do anything significant to help districts.

"We all want to be back in school in-person. Educators want to teach their students face to face. It's better for everyone involved. In order to get there, we've got to get the virus under control," Priest said.

Priest said the state needs to help schools with protective equipment for students and teachers, as well as cleaning supplies.