Although Tulsa Public Schools is back in session, that has not stopped members of Gov. Kevin Stitt’s communications staff from continuing their criticism of the district on social media.
On Wednesday afternoon, three Tulsa Public Schools officials and a student from Will Rogers Early College High School spoke on a panel at the U.S. Department of Education’s Safe Schools Reopening Summit about the district’s Care and Connect program and upcoming summer program.
The federal government’s decision to include the state’s second largest brick-and-mortar district in the discussion drew raised electronic eyebrows on social media from the communications staff for the Governor’s Office.
“Surely this is a typo,” Chief of Communications Charlie Hannema tweeted. “Tulsa? Is there another Tulsa somewhere or are we talking about the one in Oklahoma that was weeks behind everyone else and is hemorrhaging students?”
Surely this is a typo. Tulsa? Is there another Tulsa somewhere, or are we talking about the one in Oklahoma that was weeks behind everyone else and is hemorrhaging students?
With its return date pushed back multiple times thanks in part to continued community spread of COVID-19, Stitt Director of Strategic Communications Carly Atchison referred to the district’s efforts to resume in-person instruction as “moving goalposts rather than honest efforts.” Meanwhile, another member of the communications team questioned the U.S. Department of Education’s spelling skills.
Aside from a 10-day stretch in November for early elementary grades, TPS did not resume in-person classes until February, a decision that drew frequent public criticism from Stitt’s office. That criticism escalated to public, pointed exchanges on social media between Stitt and TPS Superintendent Deborah Gist about vaccine access for school employees and the district’s decision-making process.
On Thursday, Hannema said he was expressing his personal opinion. He acknowledged that he has not looked at the agenda for the event and was not aware of the topics on which the district was slated to speak at the event.
“There are all sorts of Oklahoma districts who were in person much sooner, and I thought one of them would be a better representative,” he said.
The U.S. Department of Education did not respond to requests for additional information about how participating school districts were selected.
A spokeswoman for Tulsa Public Schools declined to comment. However, other Tulsans, including members of the area’s legislative delegation, publicly took exception to Hannema’s tweets.
Rep. John Waldron, D-Tulsa, is a former social studies teacher at Booker T. Washington High School, and most of his House district is within TPS’ attendance area. He acknowledged that TPS’ enrollment declined this year, as was the case for every other brick-and-mortar public school district in Tulsa County, according to the state Department of Education.
Waldron described Hannema’s comments as harmful and a distraction from issues facing the state.
“More than half of the state’s COVID-19 deaths have happened since December,” he said. “We have had educators and support staff die of COVID, as well as health care workers. All they’re wanting to talk about is the inconvenience caused by the public health response, though. That is not good leadership.”
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“Surely this is a typo,” tweeted Stitt Chief of Communications Charlie Hannema (right), seen here standing beside Gov. Kevin Stitt. “Tulsa? Is there another Tulsa somewhere or are we talking about the one in Oklahoma that was weeks behind everyone else and is hemorrhaging students?”