Dec em ber 2021 | better sch o o ls
7
Words from the Director Dr. Pam Deering, CCOSA/OASA Executive Director deering@ccosa.org
Offense or Defense? Which would you rather play—offense or defense? As a basketball player, I always preferred to play offense. In these times, it seems like schools are continually on the defense due to political divisiveness. School districts are continually trying to respond to criticisms that arise from miscommunication, a lack of knowledge or false/misguided perceptions.
On a personal note, as I listened to the claims and criticism against our district, I was greatly distressed. These negative and sometimes false comments of a few are causing administrators and teachers to feel unsupported by a community that is known for its support of education. I felt it was important for our community to hear the facts.”
I believe that it is time to take back the narrative and go on the offense. A recent excellent example of doing just that comes from Dr. Angela Grunewald, Superintendent of Edmond Schools. After several school board meetings with public comments that inflamed the community, Dr. Grunewald set the record straight with her response to the comments. Following is a portion of her response to the Edmond Community:
We all know that we like someone to listen to us when we have concerns. With her response (read the full text here), she addresses the concerns of her district’s parents in a thoughtful, but direct way. Her responsiveness has eased the tensions that many have felt. Her concern, if these unfounded negative attacks continued, is that Edmond Schools would be portrayed in a negative light, and a community that traditionally has been so supportive of the schools would be divided.
“During public participation at the Edmond Public School Board meeting last night, many claims and accusations were made. At that time, I promised a response to those claims. That is the purpose of this document.
None of us would want this kind of publicity based on false information to continue. As school leaders, we hold a very important role in ensuring that we listen and deal with issues as they arise and remain steadfast in our decision-making that is focused on the betterment of students. continues on next page
