OKCPS name conflicts do not help students
Only a couple of weeks before the scheduled start of its academic year, Oklahoma City Public Schools announced it was opening Putnam Heights Academy, the new home for the closed Seeworth alternative school program.
The same day, OKCPS board member Charles Henry, Rep. Ajay Pittman (D-OKC), Rep. Jason Lowe (D-OKC) and community leaders held a press conference condemning the school name change accompanying the closure of Northeast Academy and relocation of Classen SAS High School to the Northeast building.
These conflicts come at the tail end of what Superintendent Sean McDaniel calls “an unbelievable lift to get schools ready so that our kids can enjoy that first day.” They also raise the question about what our community is really fighting over.
‘The culture and the name mean something’
It’s complicated, but these two battles boil down to a dispute over how patrons and communities express their love for their schools.
Given the challenges facing OKCPS, it makes no sense to argue over these deep emotional attachments for public schools. Such commitments should be seen as assets, not battlegrounds.
As the Oklahoman reported from Henry’s press conference, he argues: “It’s not fair for a CONTINUE READING: OKCPS name conflicts do not help students
