By Fox23.com News Staff
BIXBY, Okla. — Thousands of Bixby Public Schools students returned to class Wednesday as the district began a new year with additional recess, continued cellphone restrictions and a standardized system for responding to emergencies.
Superintendent Lydia Wilson said employees spent the summer working to create greater consistency across the district.
“I think it’s going to be a fabulous year,” Wilson said. “Our team has worked all summer to unite our efforts, and it’s paying off. I can feel it everywhere I go, in each building, in each training. We are on the same page, and that’s a really great feeling.”
Wilson said the district is asking families to begin the year with patience as students adjust to new schedules, bus routes and classroom routines.
“The primary message is that we’re one team,” Wilson said. “Whatever parents are worried about, schools want to accommodate and support them.”
Students and employees are beginning the year with new training based on the “I Love U Guys” Foundation’s Standard Response Protocol.
The system provides five standard actions for schools to use during emergencies. Wilson said the goal is to ensure teachers, administrators, students and first responders use the same language and understand how to respond to different situations.
Bixby administrators and directors received training from the foundation in January. The district then provided internal training to other employees and included its school resource officers in the process.
“We have standard response protocols in place now where the language is common, the understanding is common, and it should increase our safety significantly just because we’re all on the same page,” Wilson said. “It’s the biggest investment I think a school can make in something we hope we never use.”
Bixby currently has four full-time school resource officers. Wilson said the city applied for a grant to increase that number, but the additional positions have not yet been staffed. She hopes the district can eventually add two more SROs.
Additional Recess Changes School Schedule
Bixby elementary students will receive twice as much recess under a new state requirement.
However, Wilson said the district can no longer count recess minutes toward the state’s instructional-time requirement. Bixby adjusted transitions during the school day and moved dismissal back by one minute to accommodate the change.
“I don’t think anyone will even really notice it functionally,” Wilson said. “But it did require us to adjust our calendars so that we can accommodate that.”
Cellphone Restrictions Continue
Bixby will continue restricting student cellphone use from the first bell through the last.
The district implemented its bell-to-bell approach before it was required under state law. Wilson said district leaders were initially uncertain about how families would respond because many parents want their children to carry phones in case of an emergency.
She said the community ultimately supported the restrictions and students adapted well.
“We’ve had lots more engagement from our kids,” Wilson said. “There’s a lot more communication going on person to person in the lunchroom, for example, a lot more laughter, fewer heads that are tilted down as they walk down the hallways.”
Wilson described those results as anecdotal but said the policy has created noticeable changes in how students interact with teachers and each other.
District Adopts Initial Artificial-Intelligence Policy
The Bixby school board adopted its initial artificial-intelligence policy before the new school year.
Wilson said the district does not currently provide students with direct access to generative AI, but AI features are already embedded in some software, curriculum resources and state-required assessments.
She said the district reviews those tools with student safety in mind and intends to keep a teacher involved in how AI is used.
“We are taking a balanced approach to AI,” Wilson said. “We’re being very careful about that which we use and always keeping a teacher, a human, in the loop to make sure that students are safe and protected.”
Wilson said the policy will likely evolve as the technology changes.
Bixby Preparing February Bond Proposal
As students begin the new year, district leaders are also planning for Bixby’s continued growth.
Wilson said Bixby Public Schools intends to bring a bond proposal to voters in February because the growing district needs additional facilities. She did not provide a proposed dollar amount or a final list of projects during her interview with FOX23.
“We want the school to be big enough for a lot of opportunity and a lot of services for our students and our staff, but we want it to be small enough that everybody feels known, seen and welcome,” Wilson said.
District Begins Year in Good Shape With Staffing
Wilson said the district is in good overall shape with staffing and has enough bus drivers to cover all its routes.
Bixby buses travel a combined 1,400 miles every morning. Drivers practiced their routes before the first day to familiarize themselves with stops and schedules.
The district would still like to hire additional backup drivers and continues to face some staffing challenges within its child nutrition department.
Wilson said buses should remain reliable, though some routes may run slightly behind during the first few days as students and families learn their routines.
“I want everyone to relax and enjoy the ride,” Wilson said. “We have the opportunity here to start a school year that can go beautifully for kids. We’re here to support and encourage children and their families.”
