School renaming still hot topic
With just 17 days togo before classes resume, conflict persists over an Oklahoma City school's renaming while administrators tout progress in the district's schools consolidation plans.
On Friday, Rep. Jason Lowe, D-Oklahoma City, and Oklahoma City School Board member Charles Henry continued the debate over removal of Northeast Academy's name from its building at 3100 N Kelley during a press conference at the state Capitol.
“It's not fair for a school on one side of the community to come to a school on this side of the community, which is the Northeast community, which is a predominantly African American community, and strip us of our culture,” Henry said. “The culture and t he name mean something to us.”
Graduate sand parents voiced discontent over removing the school's name in favor of Classen School of Advanced Studies, an application school originally located at 1901 N Ellis on. Instead, they proposed a combined name, such as Northeast Classen School of Advanced Studies.
Classen SAS high school moved into the Northeast building this summer after Northeast Academy closed as part of a school consolidation plan across Oklahoma City Public Schools. Classen SAS middle school remains in its original building on Ellison.
Soon after the Capitol news conference, Superintendent Sean McDaniel addressed reporters in front of Putnam
Heights Elementary, which will become t he new home of Justice Alma Wilson Seeworth Academy, an alternative charter school serving at-risk students from fifth through 12th grade. The school at 1601 NW 36 will be renamed as Putnam Heights Academy.
See worth Academy terminated its charter to become a public school fully controlled by the Oklahoma City district.
McDaniel said the district originally planned for Seeworth Academy to remain in its location at 12600 N Kelley, but leadership from Seeworth Inc. refused to give up the lease to the property.
“This has been an unbelievable lift to get schools ready so that our kids can enjoy that first day,” McDaniel said. “We are almost there. We are excited about the transformation. We knew there would be bumps in the road. We anticipated it. But make no mistake, we are unbelievably excited about the future of Oklahoma City Public Schools, for this school and every other school that will open up on Aug. 12.”
Henry and t he OKC-Northeast High School Alumni Association have requested an injunction against McDaniel, the school board and Chairwoman Paula Lewis in Oklahoma County District Court.
Henry argued the school board hasn' t officially changed Northeast' s name to Classen SAS. He claimed previous board votes haven't included a name change, though the district's legal counsel has said the board changed the name when it approved districtwide consolidations on March 4.
Richard Clark, alumni association president, said t he school district originally led Northeast families to believe their school would combine with Classen SAS. The removal of Northeast's name, its colors and culture meant the consolidation was “never a merger but a takeover,” Clark said.
All Northeast Academy students can attend Classen SAS for the 201920 school year. After that, they would have to apply for acceptance to the school.
Classen SAS parents at the Capitol news conference said arguments over the school' s name are merely a distraction.
Barbara Brockhaus, who had two children graduate from Classen SAS, said the most important concern should be t he students at Classen SAS, one of the top-performing high schools in the state.
“We need this to be over with; we need it to be done,” Brockhaus said. “The main thing is not what happened 10, 15, 20, 50 years ago. The main thing is what's happening with these students this year, next year, in five years, in 10 years.”
The ongoing debate is holding parents and employees back from creating programs and plans for the coming school year, said Faizah Bhatti, treasurer of the Classen SAS Parent Teacher Student Association.
“Nothing can move forward until this gets resolved ,” B hatti said. “Students are suffering. The planning for the students is suffering. It's exhausting.”
Nadia Johnson and her husband, Leslie Johnson III, said Northeast Academy also succeeded academic ally when it received adequate funding and resources. Their daughter attended the school and will be considered a Classen SAS senior in the fall.
They said the school's removal was “unfair” to the established Northeast community.
“We don't need anything to be brought to the Northeast side because we have brilliant children, as well,” Nadia Johnson said. “We have children that are brilliant. We just need a place to develop that.”