{"id":33845,"date":"2021-02-25T06:00:59","date_gmt":"2021-02-25T12:00:59","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/?p=33845"},"modified":"2022-02-10T14:27:13","modified_gmt":"2022-02-10T20:27:13","slug":"kids-need-to-be-in-school-in-person-learning-in-el-reno-oklahoma","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/2021\/02\/25\/kids-need-to-be-in-school-in-person-learning-in-el-reno-oklahoma\/","title":{"rendered":"\u2018Kids need to be in school:\u2019 In-person Learning in El Reno, Oklahoma\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"attachment_33848\"  class=\"wp-caption module image aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 672px;\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-33848\" src=\"https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/files\/2021\/02\/IMG_5121-672x504.jpeg\" alt=\"\" width=\"672\" height=\"504\" srcset=\"https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/files\/2021\/02\/IMG_5121-672x504.jpeg 672w, https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/files\/2021\/02\/IMG_5121-1920x1440.jpeg 1920w, https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/files\/2021\/02\/IMG_5121-768x576.jpeg 768w, https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/files\/2021\/02\/IMG_5121-150x113.jpeg 150w, https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/files\/2021\/02\/IMG_5121-300x225.jpeg 300w, https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/files\/2021\/02\/IMG_5121-620x465.jpeg 620w, https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/files\/2021\/02\/IMG_5121-1440x1080.jpeg 1440w, https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/files\/2021\/02\/IMG_5121-1832x1374.jpeg 1832w, https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/files\/2021\/02\/IMG_5121-1376x1032.jpeg 1376w, https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/files\/2021\/02\/IMG_5121-1044x783.jpeg 1044w, https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/files\/2021\/02\/IMG_5121-632x474.jpeg 632w, https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/files\/2021\/02\/IMG_5121-536x402.jpeg 536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 672px) 100vw, 672px\" \/><\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-media-credit\">Robby Korth \/ StateImpact Oklahoma<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-caption-text\">A sign at the entrance of El Reno High School. Masks are required for students, staff and visitors at the district.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div style=\"width: 100%; height: 170px; margin-bottom: 20px; border-radius: 10px; overflow:hidden;\"><iframe style=\"width: 100%; height: 170px;\" frameborder=\"no\" scrolling=\"no\" seamless src=\"https:\/\/player.captivate.fm\/episode\/005f9d56-264e-4f32-9d0e-0e93cfc48d40\"><\/iframe><\/div><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">El Reno Public Schools hasn\u2019t had guests all school year.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cWe literally don\u2019t let our parents come yet,\u201d superintendent Craig McVay said.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">But, the district isn\u2019t trying to hide anything. This is a decision based on safety and preventing the spread of COVID-19. So McVay, a few other administrators and teachers toured StateImpact around their schools for several hours in late January to explore just how in-person school is going.\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It\u2019s hardly been easy. But overall, students, teachers and staff expressed positivity toward in-person learning.\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Was masking perfect? No. Was social distancing always possible? No. Have students and teachers caught the coronavirus? Yes.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">But what\u2019s the alternative?<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It\u2019s online learning. And last fall sophomore Nate Karty did just that. It was a struggle, Karty said. So he decided to come back and is already noticing the results.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cMy grades are coming up,\u201d he said.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The numbers are stark and they\u2019re scary. Last fall StateImpact<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.kosu.org\/post\/more-half-oklahomas-school-districts-have-reported-covid-19-cases\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> tracked almost 900 announcements of positive cases<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> in roughly 2\/3 of Oklahoma\u2019s school districts. The reality is those were probably significant undercounts. In El Reno, so far this school year, there have been almost 2,000 quarantines and hundreds of positive cases.\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">But, the reality is the virus doesn\u2019t appear to be running rampant. Less than 1% of those quarantines have resulted in a positive case.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cWe feared the quarantine for our students, staff and faculty more than the actual virus,\u201d superintendent McVay said.\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Even though there are bumps in the road, things are operating smoothly as the district continues to navigate school through the global pandemic.<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_33849\"  class=\"wp-caption module image aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 672px;\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-33849\" src=\"https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/files\/2021\/02\/IMG_5078-672x504.jpeg\" alt=\"\" width=\"672\" height=\"504\" srcset=\"https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/files\/2021\/02\/IMG_5078-672x504.jpeg 672w, https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/files\/2021\/02\/IMG_5078-1920x1440.jpeg 1920w, https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/files\/2021\/02\/IMG_5078-768x576.jpeg 768w, https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/files\/2021\/02\/IMG_5078-150x113.jpeg 150w, https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/files\/2021\/02\/IMG_5078-300x225.jpeg 300w, https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/files\/2021\/02\/IMG_5078-620x465.jpeg 620w, https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/files\/2021\/02\/IMG_5078-1440x1080.jpeg 1440w, https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/files\/2021\/02\/IMG_5078-1832x1374.jpeg 1832w, https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/files\/2021\/02\/IMG_5078-1376x1032.jpeg 1376w, https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/files\/2021\/02\/IMG_5078-1044x783.jpeg 1044w, https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/files\/2021\/02\/IMG_5078-632x474.jpeg 632w, https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/files\/2021\/02\/IMG_5078-536x402.jpeg 536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 672px) 100vw, 672px\" \/><\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-media-credit\">Robby Korth \/ StateImpact Oklahoma<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-caption-text\">El Reno High School students Nate Karty (left) and Maria Espinoza eat lunch together in the school&#8217;s cafeteria.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<h3><b>Lunchtime at El Reno High School<\/b><\/h3><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">El Reno High School Principal Tim Pounds does just about every job here &#8211; including working the buffet line in the cafeteria.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The day of StateImpact\u2019s visit, three cafeteria workers were out because of COVID-19 quarantine protocols. That means Pounds has to work as a food server. That\u2019s a typical duty for administrators during the pandemic.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cWherever they need us we try to step in and help,\u201d Pounds said.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The main place teachers and staff are stepping in to help is in the classroom. Learning there looks a lot different than it used to. Masks are required and students are spaced out as much as possible.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The challenges are real, Pounds said. But worth it.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cIt\u2019s a day-to-day,\u201d Pounds said. \u201cBut, overall it\u2019s good. Kids want to be here.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_33853\"  class=\"wp-caption module image aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 672px;\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-33853\" src=\"https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/files\/2021\/02\/IMG_5111-672x504.jpeg\" alt=\"\" width=\"672\" height=\"504\" srcset=\"https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/files\/2021\/02\/IMG_5111-672x504.jpeg 672w, https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/files\/2021\/02\/IMG_5111-1920x1440.jpeg 1920w, https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/files\/2021\/02\/IMG_5111-768x576.jpeg 768w, https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/files\/2021\/02\/IMG_5111-150x113.jpeg 150w, https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/files\/2021\/02\/IMG_5111-300x225.jpeg 300w, https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/files\/2021\/02\/IMG_5111-620x465.jpeg 620w, https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/files\/2021\/02\/IMG_5111-1440x1080.jpeg 1440w, https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/files\/2021\/02\/IMG_5111-1832x1374.jpeg 1832w, https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/files\/2021\/02\/IMG_5111-1376x1032.jpeg 1376w, https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/files\/2021\/02\/IMG_5111-1044x783.jpeg 1044w, https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/files\/2021\/02\/IMG_5111-632x474.jpeg 632w, https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/files\/2021\/02\/IMG_5111-536x402.jpeg 536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 672px) 100vw, 672px\" \/><\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-media-credit\">Robby Korth \/ StateImpact Oklahoma<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-caption-text\">An English class at El Reno High School. Social distancing is often difficult in the district&#8217;s classrooms but masks are required.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<h3><b>Classroom learning during a pandemic<\/b><\/h3><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Kids need to be in school, said Pat Litiker, director of instructional leadership for El Reno Public Schools.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cWhen we teach kids, we teach them the curriculum, the content, the academics, but there&#8217;s that hidden curriculum they learn along the way, the social skills, the interaction with adults, with other kids, that they just learn how to be citizens,\u201d Litiker said. \u201cThey learn how to be people by interacting. They don&#8217;t learn that in their home sitting in front of a computer.\u201d<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Given the transmission rates in El Reno, the CDC recommends only hybrid learning in high schools, and requires social distancing of six feet. But with more than two thirds of students going to school full-time, social distancing has been hard.\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cThings happen,\u201d Litiker said. \u201cBut we put every safeguard in place we can to make it safe for kids to come and we want them to come.\u201d<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">El Reno Public Schools has been offering full-time, in-person classes to all its students since the fall. Quarantines and time away from school are commonplace. That\u2019s in addition to scheduling to keep students in cohorts, restricting use of water fountains and vending machines and requiring masks.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_33851\"  class=\"wp-caption module image aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 672px;\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-33851\" src=\"https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/files\/2021\/02\/IMG_5117-672x504.jpeg\" alt=\"\" width=\"672\" height=\"504\" srcset=\"https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/files\/2021\/02\/IMG_5117-672x504.jpeg 672w, https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/files\/2021\/02\/IMG_5117-1920x1440.jpeg 1920w, https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/files\/2021\/02\/IMG_5117-768x576.jpeg 768w, https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/files\/2021\/02\/IMG_5117-150x113.jpeg 150w, https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/files\/2021\/02\/IMG_5117-300x225.jpeg 300w, https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/files\/2021\/02\/IMG_5117-620x465.jpeg 620w, https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/files\/2021\/02\/IMG_5117-1440x1080.jpeg 1440w, https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/files\/2021\/02\/IMG_5117-1832x1374.jpeg 1832w, https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/files\/2021\/02\/IMG_5117-1376x1032.jpeg 1376w, https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/files\/2021\/02\/IMG_5117-1044x783.jpeg 1044w, https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/files\/2021\/02\/IMG_5117-632x474.jpeg 632w, https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/files\/2021\/02\/IMG_5117-536x402.jpeg 536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 672px) 100vw, 672px\" \/><\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-media-credit\">Robby Korth \/ StateImpact Oklahoma<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-caption-text\">Pat Litiker, director of instructional leadership for El Reno Public Schools.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div style=\"width: 100%; height: 170px; margin-bottom: 20px; border-radius: 10px; overflow: hidden;\"><iframe style=\"width: 100%; height: 170px;\" frameborder=\"no\" scrolling=\"no\" seamless src=\"https:\/\/player.captivate.fm\/episode\/74b5e2f7-7c13-4a97-98db-6dffbb1f2972\"><\/iframe><\/div>\n<h3><b>Elementary school creates different challenges<\/b><\/h3><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Teacher Jerelyn Atchison is strumming her ukulele for a class full of masked-up three year olds.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It\u2019s the kind of music time toddlers expect from their teacher. And even though it\u2019s a little difficult to sing from behind a mask, Atchison is just happy to be in school after battling COVID-19 herself.\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Hillcrest is home to the youngest children in El Reno Schools. About 300 pre-kindergarten and kindergarten students attend.\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">After the coronavirus shut down schooling last spring, El Reno educators scrambled to make in-person school happen for this fall. They\u2019re doing just that by keeping classes separated during lunchtime and recess and there\u2019s a mask on every face &#8211; big and small.\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">But coming back to school wasn\u2019t as smooth as years prior for some teachers. Despite the new procedures, Atchison was scared.\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cI was terrified, actually, at the beginning,\u201d she said. \u201cThey can&#8217;t put the mask on themselves and so we were literally touching 20 masks 10 times a day.\u201d<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">But now students and teachers alike have gotten into the swing of things. And they spend less time on safety protocols and more time on learning.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Again, Litiker said, there are concerning interruptions related to quarantines.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cIt breaks my heart more than anything when we have to quarantine the little bitty kids because they want to be in school, they want to come laugh, they want to come play,\u201d he said.\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">But those quarantines are necessary for safety, he said. El Reno has not adopted some of the more relaxed quarantine protocols allowed in Oklahoma like cancelling out the need to quarantine if students are wearing masks.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In-person school is necessary because online classes are impossible for 4-year-olds, pre-kindergarten teacher Lindy Harper said.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cYou actually get an experience,\u201d Harper said. \u201cIt&#8217;s not just a screen and listening or slightly interacting. I mean, it&#8217;s constant interaction and learning all day long,\u201d Harper said.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><b>El Reno girls basketball team<\/b><\/h3><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Basketball is a risky sport to play during a pandemic.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In fact, the <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.npr.org\/2021\/02\/13\/962095427\/to-play-or-not-to-play-schools-wrestle-with-cdcs-athletics-recommendations\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">CDC has even cautioned against playing indoor sports<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> like basketball for the time being.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">But the Oklahoma Secondary School Activities Association has allowed basketball to continue <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/oklahoman.com\/article\/5682925\/ossaa-announces-capacity-limits-fan-guidelines-for-basketball-wrestling-state-tournaments?utm_source=SFMC&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=The%20Oklahoman%20breaking-news%202021-02-2317:16:32&utm_content=GTDT_OKC&utm_term=022421\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">with some crowd restrictions<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Still, players like Tetona Blackowl actually have pulled themselves out of classes to attend online. The point guard said didn\u2019t want the chaos of a school-related quarantine to get in the way of her hoop dreams. She hopes to lead her team to the state championship.\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It\u2019s simply the better thing to do.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cBetter for, like, the season, just for us to have a season, where I wouldn\u2019t get quarantined so easily, just being in class with other people,\u201d she said.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Quarantines are common. El Reno has had games postponed and cancelled because of potential exposures and was coming off a quarantine after an opponent tested positive. At the time of StateImpact\u2019s tour, though, the squad was getting ready for a game that night.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">But some things aren\u2019t meant to be. Shortly after the interview, El Reno\u2019s game that evening was cancelled.\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Their opponent had to pull out because of their own quarantine protocols.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>El Reno Public Schools hasn\u2019t had guests all school year.\u201cWe literally don\u2019t let our parents come yet,\u201d superintendent Craig McVay said.But, the district isn\u2019t trying to hide anything. This is a decision based on safety and preventing the spread of COVID-19. So McVay, a few other administrators and teachers toured StateImpact around their schools for [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":209,"featured_media":33847,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[17,23],"tags":[],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/33845"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/209"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=33845"}],"version-history":[{"count":10,"href":"https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/33845\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":34575,"href":"https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/33845\/revisions\/34575"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/33847"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=33845"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=33845"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=33845"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}