TULSA, Okla. — Board members at the Green Country's largest brick and mortar school district gave the microphone to parents, guardians, and educators on Wednesday night. Many of them called for more inclusion.
The Tulsa Public School Board held a special meeting to help address concerns about the "conduct and practices" of board members and to "open a dialogue about equity and discrimination."
Several speakers criticized board member, Dr. Jerry Griffin, saying he made insensitive comments to another board member.
"I'm here today because my students are not at voting age. If they were, Jerry Griffin would not be sitting behind that desk," said one speaker.
"Let's not mince words. This is about Judith Barbara [Perez] and myself. It was a miscommunication. It was a language that perhaps she didn't understand and I didn't understand her," Griffin explains.
Boos were heard from the crowd after Griffin's explanations.
Many people attending were in the same group that came with several demands for the board. Those include:
- quarterly meetings with Latino families
- investing in more bilingual employees
- several types of training for leaders
- better translation services for public meetings
Griffin announced on Friday that he would hold a press conference at the Tulsa Press Club regarding the board meeting.
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