OKLAHOMA CITY (KFOR) – Students at a metro school are missing out on valuable classroom time as the building at Shidler Elementary School in South Oklahoma City is in desperate need of repairs. 

A concerned viewer sent KFOR an email saying the children are being bussed back and forth to the new school and missing one hour and twenty minutes of instruction each day.  

Currently half of the students are still learning inside Shidler Elementary School, and the other half are learning from Adalaide Lee Elementary about a mile and a half away. But soon, all students will move over there as the district makes repairs. 

The Oklahoma City School District told KFOR, “There were no indications that building may be unsafe until recently… The district monitors all buildings for structural changes and has plans in place, such as the one being utilized now, to keep students and staff safe. The portions of the building being occupied by students and staff are stand alone from the areas of the building experiencing issues,” said Crystal Raymond, media relations manager. 

Now through January 13^th, pre-k, kindergarten, and 1^st graders will continue to stay in the current building, while 2^nd through 4^th graders learn in Adalaide Lee Elementary.  

Beginning Monday, January 16^th through the 20^th, all students will learn online.   

“It’s kind of frustrating just because I went here when I was a child, pretty much pre-K through fifth grade. I never had an issue here,” said Ruben Virgen, father of a son in 1^st grade at Shidler Elementary. 

One parent told KFOR, he’s concerned with his child switching to virtual learning. 

“Since he’s used to going to class, I’m pretty sure he’ll just have to cope with a different type of learning style… Especially like, you have to be on it with the whole school class work. It’s kind of going to be difficult,” said Virgen.  

Starting January 23^rd all Shidler Elementary students will be back in the classroom but will be learning from Adalaide Lee Elementary for the remainder of the year. 

“When you’re like a new student somewhere else, your thoughts are whether my kid’s going to get bullied or he’s going to get accepted. So yeah, it’s pretty concerning for the most part,” said Virgen. 

Oklahoma City School District told KFOR, “The logistics that are involved in planning bus routes for a district our size take time to evaluate and adjust. Bus routes for Shidler students attending Adelaide Lee are currently being evaluated by the district with the needs of our families in mind,” said Raymond. 

Ruben Virgen lives across the street from Shidler Elementary and will now have to worry about getting his son to school a mile and a half away. 

“That’s pretty much time-consuming, cause then you just got to start thinking of what’s next. Like, what can you do for your child so they can have a better education,” said Virgin.  

While students are learning online, the school district says teachers will spend time relocating to the new school.