Education Watch Oklahoma (Dec. 21): Keeping Kids Fed, Housed & More

This is Episode 3 in a six-part series called 'Filling in the Gaps: How State and District Spending Solutions Can Address Unfinished Learning and Pandemic-Related Barriers To K-12 Education.'

This week: who was hit hardest by the pandemic, a conversation about the barriers that certain populations of students and community members had to access their education. Why food insecurity was a big problem for some students, keeping track of homeless students, students with disabilities being unable to return to class safely, and more. 

Our guests include:

Lisa Griffin, Union Public Schools – Food Service Director. Will speak to students dealing with food insecurity and how they were affected by the pandemic.

Magaly Rivas, Western Heights Public Schools parent and staff member. The district has a high percentage of English Language Learner students and parents, she worked to translate syllabi and school communications into Spanish during the pandemic to help her community. She will speak to how ELL students were affected.

Susan Agel, Positive Tomorrows CEO and President – this is a school for students experiencing homelessness. Their school has many additional supports in place to ensure homeless kids who are often moving a lot, food insecure, with families in need of support, can get to school and have an education.

Katie Warden. Oklahoma Disability Law Center lead education attorney. She will be able to talk about access issues and civil rights questions regarding students with disabilities during the pandemic.