Broken Arrow superintendent battle

Drama class

Presidential politics may take the national stage, but school districts certainly have their fair share of drama.

Those living in Oklahoma City, Tulsa and many parts in between are well aware of the superintendent sagas that have played out in those cities during the past year. No doubt parents in a Tulsa suburb are embarrassed and angry that there’s a showdown between the school board and superintendent in their hometown.

The stage is Broken Arrow, where a divided school board suspended the superintendent and forbid him from stepping onto school grounds without approval. The Tulsa World reported that when Jim Sisney, the suspended schools chief, tried to retrieve his belongings from the administration building, police were called. He wasn’t arrested and police said he’s not a criminal suspect.

The request for police assistance wasn’t the first legal skirmish involving Sisney. In September, he filed a defamation lawsuit against five people, including three school board members. He’s also suing an attorney who has done legal work for the district.

The shame is that school leadership dramas detract and distract from the important work happening in schools. That’s not good for the kids who need adults to rise above the theater of chaos.

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