Students in Owasso Public Schools were in online classes this week, while many of their peers in other districts missed school days they’ll have to make up later.
Bixby, Inola and Liberty-Mounds schools were among those near Tulsa using virtual days while Tulsa, Broken Arrow, Jenks and Union closed school entirely.
Next year, Oklahoma schools won’t have the option; a new law means only two days of virtual instruction can count as instructional days, and even then, only in the event of an emergency declaration by the Governor.
“We’ll just we’ll do what we have to do within that new law and, do the best we can around these days,” said Mark Officer, Assistant Superintendent for Teaching and Learning in Owasso.
He said the district has strict accountability for students and teachers that ensures actual learning is taking place. “We treat it like a traditional six period day where kids are expected to be online at the beginning of every class period, with their cameras on. And teachers are expected to do live instruction, for a minimum of 20 to 25 minutes, with the kids interacting.”
Senate Bill 758 practically eliminates the option for virtual instruction starting with the 2026-27 school year.
This article was originally published by News on 6. You can see the original story here.