Living History
One educator aims to bring history full circleby pushing to revive a historic school.
Silence fills the halls and classrooms of Sumner Elementary School in Topeka, Kan.—the building where the landmark 1954 Brown vs. Board of Education school-segregation case originated.
Despite its historic role in the country's education system, Sumner closed its doors as a school in 1996. Since then it has been used as a storage unit, a police training facility, and an art project for vandals. But now one educator is fighting to reopen the site as an affordable private school.
“Sumner’s the first in integration, and Sumner should be the first in innovation,” Sandra Lassiter, a former Topeka elementary school principal who is spearheading the effort, said in an interview. Lassiter hopes a revamped Sumner will breathe life into what she says is a blighted Topeka neighborhood with one of the highest crime rates in the city.
Lassiter has submitted three charter school proposals to Topeka’s school board since 2007, the last of which was rejected in December over concerns about the soundness of Lassiter’s education plan, community support, and funding, according to a February 2007 article in Topeka’s Capital-Journal.
But Lassiter, who retired from the Topeka district in 2003 on unpleasant terms and subsequently filed a lawsuit claiming she’d been forced to resign, said she believes her checkered history with the district factored into the board’s decision....
Now working on her fourth proposal, Lassiter wants to focus on building a solid education foundation for children with a K-3rd grade private school...
It reminded me that its about time for another open records request.
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