OKC school district seeks dismissal of Northeast lawsuit
On a day when thousands of students returned for the first day of classes, Oklahoma City Public Schools requested to throw out a lawsuit over t he renaming of Northeast Academy, and a school board member called for resignations of the superintendent and board chairwoman.
Northeast Academy' s alumni association and Oklahoma City School Board member Charles Henry had filed the lawsuit in hopes of forcing the board to reconsider the name change at a future meeting.
An argument broke out among school board members during their meeting Monday, the same day the
district requested to dismiss the case in federal court. A heated exchange began when Henry called for resignations from Superintendent Sean McDaniel and Chairwoman Paula Lewis.
Henry accused McDaniel and Lewis of lying to Northeast Academy alumni when the district planned for Class en School of Advanced Studies to move into the high school' s building.
“If you are in a position where you area superintendent or you area board chair and you lie to the public, in my opinion I think that you may need to resign,” Henry said. “This is an outrage, and you all need to resign unless you do right by these people.”
Lewis told The Oklahoman s he has no intention of re signing. The argument and motion for dismissal are the latest in an ongoing dispute among the board over the school's renaming — conflict which Lewis said is “not going away any time soon.”
“I' m confident in my board, and I'm confident in what we have done,” Lewis said after the meeting. “Any allegations they can make in the litigation case, the legal system will take care of that.
“It's disheartening to me. It's incredibly disheartening. I went to (Classen) SAS today. Kids are happy.”
Henry said Northeast Academy alumni have complained that McDaniel and Lewis were dishonest by promising a true merger of their alma mater and Classen SAS. Instead, Northeast Academy closed, and Classen SAS replaced its name on the building.
Alumni Association President Richard Clark said during a news conference last month that the district led Northeast parents and graduates to believe their school would more equally combine with Classen SAS.
Clark said the removal of Northeast' s name, colors and mascot meant the plan was“never a merger but a takeover.”
Henry voted with the rest of the board on March 4 to approve a school consolidation plan that closed Northeast Academy. The district said in its motion to dismiss that this vote included a change of Northeast Academy' s name to Classen SAS.
“You voted for it, and then you turn around and start down this path ,” Board member Mark Mann said to Henry about the lawsuit. “So, yes, you're grandstanding. I stand by that. You should focus on schools in your district.”
In the months leading up to the March 4 vote, McDaniel recommended the school district change the name to Classen SAS, according to meeting minutes and reports filed with the motion to dismiss.
Administrators are considering other ways to honor Northeast Academy, such as having a legacy room to display the former school' s trophies, championships and history. The district also restored a Northeast Viking logo inside the building's main entrance.
Henry has argued McDaniel's recommendation never explicitly stated the school's name would be changed to Classen SAS and the board still needed to decide on the name after the March 4 vote.
McDaniel disagreed in a written statement filed with the motion to dismiss. He said he specifically stated during a board meeting Feb .21 that his recommendation was to rename the school Classen SAS.
The board unanimously approved McDaniel's recommendation, which also renamed three elementary schools that closed and were converted to middle and mid-high schools.
The school district will seek recovery of attorney fees if a federal judge agrees to dismiss the case, according to a media statement from McDaniel.
“It is unfortunate that we are forced to spend such an exorbitant amount of time and resources addressing an issue that was clearly and appropriately settled on March 4th, ” McDaniel said. “Prior to that vote, the name of the school was discussed in detail at the public board meeting; and following that discussion, all eight board members—including Mr. Henry — unanimously voted to approve my recommendation to name the school Classen SAS High School.”