Cheryl Jackson: Observations From a Former AP Teacher

I am disgusted, but not surprised at the events that have unfolded in Sapulpa this week. It is a growing epidemic in the world of education and our community.

Honestly, I had stepped away from the turmoil of the district once I was confident that it was in good hands once again. Rob Armstrong cares about our schools and our town. He is visible in the schools and in the community, unlike Kevin Burr who was only visible on the evening news promoting his personal political agenda. The morale of teachers and those in the school buildings has done a 180. Rob Armstrong is also good for Sapulpa because he’s not “from here”. He knows that what is the norm here IS NOT the norm everywhere. A good mix of generational Sapulpans and “outsiders” is vital to the health of our schools and town.

Our school board president, Melinda Ryan, is an attorney and I believe she has the best interest of Sapulpa at heart. She was one of two nay votes in renewing Kevin Burr’s contract last spring. I’ve known her for 12 years and have never seen her act in a manner that would put our children or our town in harm’s way. She is not one to be swayed by political or financial influences.

With that said, here’s my take. As an AP teacher I learned to, and strove to teach my students to look at every situation from as many viewpoints as possible – the truth is hidden somewhere in the mix.

• Why was Ms. Sloan allowed to be in the classroom if according to the emails floating around are real and district admin knew about the situation?
  • An employee (school or otherwise) cannot be fired on hearsay. Our Constitution, Federal and State laws protect us from unscrupulous employers.
  • There must be just cause to search a person’s possessions.
    • A picture from an anonymous source is not enough. I believe there is a picture out there of President Obama smoking from a bong? We have all screwed up – yes, even you self-righteous folks.
  • What if the accusation had been an angry parent wanting to get even with the teacher? I’ve seen it happen and watched a young life, career and marriage be destroyed.
  • The bust was most likely a long thought out, carefully planned operation so as to be effective. Imagine the headlines had they gone busting into her room (terrifying the children in the process) and found nothing.
• Should the district have acted sooner?
  • We don’t know what was or wasn’t being done. The same laws mentioned above prohibit an employer from discussing actions being taken towards an employee. Again, imagine the headlines and how they would screw up the evidence necessary to charge a person. “Sapulpa District Creeps on Teacher Suspected of Drug Use”.
  • Is this messed up where children are involved? Yes – solution? I think we are all open for suggestions.
• Couldn’t you see from the mug shot that she has a drug problem?
  • I’m guessing she didn’t show up to the classroom looking that way? Addicts are great at hiding their problems and today’s makeup can cover a lot.
  • It was most likely highly suspected – a colleague saw her Facebook? Again, someone had to get some hard evidence.
• How did we get to this point and who’s to blame?
  • Previous administration was a train wreck at best. Mr. Armstrong inherited a 5 year mess with a wake of destruction and a school board president who defended his poor choice even after it was determined Burr was bad for Sapulpa.
  • The State of Oklahoma has decimated the teaching community. As this is being written, laws to reduce the qualifications to be a teacher in this state are being considered in our State Legislature (when they work, lawmakers are required to be at the Capitol 5 months a year and their workweek ended at 11am on Thursday May 4).
    • We still have some good teachers left in Sapulpa – we need to guard them with our lives. Because of our state our choices for quality educators are getting to be fewer and fewer.
  • Us for not speaking up? I can tell you story after story (including my own) of parents going to admin in this district only to have their pleas fall on deaf ears. Is this the case in this situation or was there just the one email complaint that was not followed up by the accuser? We have to keep going back, and encourage others to step up as well. One complaint from an anonymous source isn’t enough. See point 1 c above.
  • Sapulpa has a history of hanging onto ok teachers instead of demanding excellence. Just because someone is a nice person, comes from a long line of educators, is somebody’s family member or is alum DOES NOT make them a quality teacher. I remember when there were never openings at Sapulpa because people WANTED to work here. We need to go back to those practices.
• The damage is done. What is the solution? I cannot say what my response would be if I had a child in that classroom. 7 year olds are tender, inquisitive, and impressionable. Were the children in imminent danger? I think maybe so, but there are too many variables. Most teachers lock their purses in a drawer or closet. Let’s hope that was the case here. In any event, to my knowledge NO child was injured physically. Potentially they could have been, but they were not.
  • Lawsuit against the district.
    • When a school district is involved in a lawsuit the taxpayers pick up the tab. I assume avoidance of such a situation is why admin was careful to acquire the necessary evidence to get the charges they needed. If there is a lawsuit and the costs exceed the district insurance coverage the deficit funds will be collected in the form of property tax from the citizens.
    • Will a lawsuit benefit us in the long run? Sapulpa was just beginning to look attractive to potential newcomers. The longer this is in the news the worse we look and the worse off we all are. If you own property your value probably took a dip this week.
    • Do school employees need to be held responsible? It is the duty of our school board to make sure every action was taken to legally address the situation. If you don’t think the school board is doing its job, it’s YOUR duty to vote or remove them from office.  848 people voted in the last school board election. Shame on you Sapulpa. If you were eligible and did not vote you chose not to have a voice on this or any other issue concerning our schools.

We are in a place of opportunity. I personally have gone from the opinion of “I’m just going to sell my 2 Sapulpa properties at a loss and get the heck out” to “I think there is hope” and have purchased our retirement home in the district. I encourage EVERYONE to step up to the plate. This is our town and only we can save it.

• The district needs to admit things can be better. Our peer districts have left us in the dust because of stale leadership and lack of vision beyond nice signage and athletic venues. Apathy is the only reason why Sapulpa isn’t producing All State athletes and National Merit Scholar Students. Take a good hard look at what our kids options are in MS through HS and compare it to the competition. “Reading for Pleasure” is an embarrassment. Reading needs to happen in our English classes with ALL students and we need to offer courses that challenge and/or prepare our kids for the world. A 1 week financial literacy crash course at the end of the senior year is insufficient. Let’s give our kids a fighting chance by encouraging them to take classes that give them skills. Not every student is college material.
• Parents need to step up to the plate and demand we compete. I am just an average citizen with average kids, but yesterday I received calls and texts from two people I hold in high esteem asking for my input. These folks didn’t call me because I’m a rocket scientist; they called me because they know I care. I’ve been that squeaky wheel. If there are enough of us we will prevail.

Sapulpa – even those of you without kids in the schools – we are at a crossroads. We can make it better or we can just keep plugging along at mediocre and watch our town continue on the downward spiral.