North Highland Elementary To Remain Open

The Oklahoma City School District said Monday it will not close North Highland Elementary school after all. The school board was scheduled to vote on whether they would temporarily close the school at Monday night’s board meeting.

Last week the district announced it was considering closing the school for next school year saying they couldn’t find a principal and the school was in crisis. That announcement upset parents and community members. Monday morning, before the announcement that the school will stay open was made, parents and community members protested the possible move vowing to pack Monday night's school board meeting to convince board members to vote against the district's proposal.

“It is sad and devastating, I went there, my children went there, I love the staff,” said Stacey Lacorur. She has four kids at the school.

“I love my school and I do not want it shut down,” said her 6-year-old daughter Taylor.

The announcement also sparked outrage on social media. This weekend the school was vandalized. A district spokesperson said they don't know if the vandalism is related to the announcement.

Nonetheless, shortly after Monday’s protest wrapped up, the district released a statement saying the school would not close after all.

"After careful consideration and exploring a variety of options, OKCPS Superintendent Aurora Lora has made the decision to move forward with staffing North Highland Elementary for the 2017-18 school year so we can welcome students on August 1."

“I’m ecstatic, I was really concerned the school was going to close after all this money had been spent,” said Raymond Hutcherson.