| Updated: 6/19/2012 9:07 am |
Published: 6/18/2012 6:00 pm
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Tulsa Public Schools is seeing one of its largest summer school enrollments in recent years.
There were four times as many students that showed up for summer school on Monday than last summer.
That increase didn’t make it any easier on some parents whose children didn’t even know they were on a waiting list. Other students found out they were at the wrong school.
"There were literally dozens of kids out front," said Angela Jalili, a concerned mother.
She said Will Rogers High School was filled with students trying to find out where to go for summer school.
"We all pre-enrolled for summer school, my child along as his friends that were here. We pre-enrolled in April," she said.
But when Jalili dropped off her son Alex, he was told he wasn't at the right school.
"The hanging outside is usual in the morning. But when we went inside and we weren't allowed to be here that was odd to me," said the 12-year-old.
"We weren't informed about that, no letters went out, no calls were made," said Jalili.
TPS says it did make changes because enrollment jumped so much. 1,300 students last summer, to more than 5,200 this summer. TPS says students and parents were notified to go to schools closest to their homes.
"To make it easier for transportation, we made where you go to summer school based on your address," said TPS Public Information Officer Chris Payne.
But Jalili says she never got that notification.
"They had over a month to make us aware of this situation and they didn't," she said.
So instead of working, she spent most the day trying to figure out where Alex needed to be.
"It's ridiculous and irresponsible," she told FOX23.
In the end it worked out.
TPS says communication could have been better. The district is working on making accommodations for all students.
"I'm sure there's things from this summer that we'll learn that we'll make changes and make it even smoother," said Payne.
Jalili’s son was able to stay at Rogers High School.
TPS says enrollment was up so much because the district was named as one of the top "Teach for America" summer institutes.
