TULSA, Okla. — Rough weather was to blame when Tulsa Public School officials were forced to cancel their Enrollment Expo that was set to be Jan. 11 at the Cox Business Center. Now, some parents are looking for more guidance as the enrollment deadline for the 2020-2021 school year steadily approaches.
Maria Shawn has two kids enrolled in the Tulsa Public School District.
“Epic was at full capacity so I’m going to try them at TPS and see how it goes," Shawn said.
She says she was looking forward to the Enrollment Expo instead of waiting in line at the Enrollment Center. Due to the Expo's cancellation, Shawn needed to go to the Enrollment Center to ask questions.
“I came here with two kids and I’ve been in line for 45 minutes, my feet are hurting," Shawn said. “Just waiting and waiting and waiting not getting a clear answer, their communication sucks. I mean, I don’t know how else to put it."
To address that concern and make it easier for parents, the district changed the enrollment process for the 2020-2021 school year.
“The changes that we are doing to our enrollment process are in response to what we heard from families that have made their ability to enroll more complex in the past," said TPS chief operations officer, Jorje Robles.
TPS says while they despite the cancellation of the Expo, there are still plenty of options online and around Tulsa. Read their full statement below.
Statement:
Due to the forecast for inclement weather conditions, we made the decision to cancel our Enrollment Expo on Saturday, Jan. 11. Over the 48 hour period preceding the decision, we monitored weather patterns and consulted with the National Weather Service and the Tulsa Area Emergency Management Agency to assess potential safety risks. On Friday afternoon, the weather forecasts for Saturday, Jan. 11 called for a wintry mix of sleet and snow in the morning with a wind chill of 14 degrees. Despite warm ground temperatures, the combination of a low wind chill, consistent precipitation and low temperatures overnight, and a forecasted wintry mix followed by snow in the early hours can create unsafe road, sidewalk, and parking lot conditions. While Oklahoma weather can often be unpredictable, we erred on the side of caution to keep our students, teachers, parents, and school leaders safe.
We are fortunate to have strong philanthropic partnerships to fund special events and initiatives like our Enrollment Expo and launch of the improved system. At this point, we are working with representatives at the Cox Center to review our agreements and determine what funds are able to be returned to the district. We hope to have more information later this week.
While it was disappointing to have to cancel the Enrollment Expo, we continue to see exciting early results from our improved enrollment system. To date, we have almost doubled our unique student applications compared to the first month of the enrollment process last year! With the new system, parents and families have one application and one application period, and they can apply for up to six schools, giving families greater flexibility to choose the learning community that best meets the needs of each child. Families can still enroll online at www.tulsaschools.org/enroll [tulsaschools.org], but they can also visit any of the following sites to complete enrollment:
- Tulsa Public Schools Enrollment Center
- Martin Regional Library
- Rudisill Regional Library
- Tulsa City County Library
- Zarrow Regional Library
Parents and families can find more information about our enrollment process and our schools at www.tulsaschools.org/enroll [tulsaschools.org].
Stay in touch with us anytime, anywhere.
Download our free app for Apple and Android and Kindle devices.
Sign up for newsletters emailed to your inbox. Select from these options: Breaking News, Severe Weather, School Closings, Daily Headlines and Daily Forecasts.
