TPS

During its regular meeting on Monday, Aug. 3, the Tulsa Board of Education voted to approve a recommendation that Tulsa Public Schools begin the 2020-2021 school year in the distance learning mode.

The inextricable relationship between the well-being of our team and the success of our students has never been more clear than it is today. So when we make the decision about our reopening, it will be with everyone’s needs in mind. That absolutely includes the safety of Team Tulsa–the amazing people who fill many roles in our district serving students each day. 

The district’s Summer Academy will run from June 22-July 17 with distance learning for 3rd-grade students eligible under the Reading Sufficiency Act and for students in grades 9-11 who need to recover credits to stay on track to graduate with their peers.

Last week I had the privilege of sitting down with a board member who voted in favor of keeping the name out of respect for the individuals who live in the Lee District. It was one of the best conversations I have ever had in my life. We approached one another as human beings. I sat at a table across from an American who looked different from me and allowed myself to become vulnerable with the hope of reaching the heart.

We must work together to research and explore the possibilities available. We have to be willing to open our hearts and minds to new ways of learning, experiencing life and developing skills in untraditional ways. Yes, it’s okay to do that.

Tell them they are excellent because they are Black. Educate them on the history before their ancestors were slaves.

Since last Saturday’s racialized attacks in Charlottesville, a petition calling for the name change has collected over 4,000 signatures.