OKLAHOMA CITY — Supporters of a north Tulsa charter school that is facing closure pleaded for the survival of Langston Hughes Academy on Thursday morning.
Students, parents and employees urged the Oklahoma State Board of Education during its monthly meeting to reverse its decision to close the school. Langston Hughes, located at 1821 E. 66th St. North, was ordered earlier this year to shut down by June 30 for ongoing compliance issues and student safety concerns.
Cormell Padillow, a junior, said he and many other students transferred to Langston Hughes because they didn’t fit in at traditional public schools. When the academy closes, Padillow said, they’ll be forced to go back to their old schools, where they felt “broken” and ignored.
“Even though we’ve had problems for the last three years, we’re working to fix those things,” he told the board. “The consequences of not allowing forgiveness of our school administration will make it so the students in this room have no choice. And the thing that we’re fighting for today is the right for a choice.”
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Turmoil at Langston Hughes began to surface last year when Rodney Clark, its founder and then-superintendent, and three other staff members were suspended amid allegations of grade tampering. The charter school was placed on probation and ordered to complete a number of requirements by Nov. 1.
The state board first considered shuttering the school after the deadline was missed but tabled the decision after hearing from several students. Board members officially yanked its state accreditation in January after learning of additional and ongoing issues.
Shortly after the board’s decision, students and employees vowed to fight for their school and show up at every meeting.
Sherri Owens, an employee at Langston Hughes, said the current administration is a lot different from last year’s. Those who replaced Clark and the others have been trying to fix the mess he created but are still being blamed for his actions, Owens said.
“We’re trying to clean it up. The state is trying to close us down,” she said. “Why? We need answers, and we don’t want to have to look for another job somewhere else.”
Adrienne Evans stood next to her son, Christian Allen, as she detailed how he ended up at Langston Hughes after becoming discouraged at his previous school and getting suspended.
Evans said her son’s attitude began to change almost immediately as he received encouragement from his new teachers. He got involved in the drama department and won a state competition in dramatic interpretation, she said, and he’s applied for admission to several colleges across the country.
“What I call Langston Hughes is the school that took the rejects,” Evans said. “Most of the kids there can attest to that they were dealing with the same issues Christian was dealing with.
“Langston Hughes has been a home for these children to come to where not only are they getting an education, … it’s also a place where many of these kids are getting the love of a father figure they don’t have or the love of a mother figure.”
Freshman Ethan Gibbs said transferring to Langston Hughes sparked “something special” inside of him and gave him hope after years of struggling in other schools.
“I thought it was interesting that when the state or board wants to close down a school, it’s basically saying that you want to deny a child their education and rights to become a citizen of Oklahoma,” Gibbs said. “For me and everyone else in this room, that seems very unfair.”
After listening to several speakers, state Superintendent Joy Hofmeister told Langston Hughes supporters she would be willing to talk further at the conclusion of the meeting.
“This has been a grueling process with the most devastating impact on students and their families,” Hofmeister told the Tulsa World in a statement. “It’s especially important to honor the advocacy of families by listening to concerns and answering questions. We did this today and will continue in the coming weeks.”
When asked whether the decision to close Langston Hughes was final, a spokeswoman for the Oklahoma State Department of Education said the board’s action would not be reversed as the process of transferring students to other schools is underway.
