A number of parents voiced displeasure last Monday when it was announced Kingfi sher Public Schools would be cancelling school two days later to allow for students and staff to attend state tournament basketball games in Oklahoma City.

One of them, a mother of two elementary- aged students, voiced it at last Monday’s meeting of the board of education.

“While I do understand the reason for the closure, cancelling all classes during an already-shortened week and on less than 48 hours notice is disruptive, upsetting and disrespectful,” said Isabella Valderrama during the public participation portion of the agenda.

Both Kingfisher High School teams qualifi ed for the state tournament over the previous weekend.

The KHS boys did so on the Friday prior while the Lady Jackets punched their ticket on Saturday night, March 4.

The schedules for the state tournaments were released Sunday, March 5, by the Oklahoma Secondary Schools Activities Association.

Those schedules revealed the boys’ team would play at 10:30 a.m. Wednesday, March 8, and the girls would play at 6 p.m. that day.

Weatherford’s boys basketball team also qualified for state and was playing at noon Wednesday. That district announced Sunday that it would close school on Wednesday.

Kingfisher Superintendent David Glover had other plans when he held his regular Monday morning meeting with all the district’s principals.

I went in the meeting and I told them “let’s just figure out a way to have school.”

Glover addressed the reasoning for the closure during his “superintendent’s report” portion of the agenda, which came after the public participation.

Glover said while his desire was for school to take place, he also wanted to provide staff who wished to attend the games the opportunity to do so.

That’s when the principals started reporting how many staff members planned to attend the games.

“When we got in here today and started talking about it, there weren’t enough people to cover for kids,” Glover said.

A large number of the district’s already depleted list of substitutes also planned to attend.

“It’s a tough deal. The minute you don’t call it off, you create a mess and you’ve got kids running around everywhere. There’s no teaching going on that day,” Glover said.

“I want to make sure education is taking place if we are open,” Glover said.

With an insufficient number of staff available, Glover said he made the decision to call off school.

“I thought making a decision about school when it’s icy is tough,” Glover said. “This was 100 percent tougher.”

Valderrama, who said she had a second and a fifth grader, said the short notice put her and others like her in a tough spot.

“I’m forced to find alternative care for my kids, which causes undue stress and poses a financial burden on me,” she said.

“I understand this decision has been made and I ask that in the future there be more consideration and collaboration given to families that are affected by this sudden change as well as an alternative option given to those students and families who do not have access or resources to adjust their schedules so easily.”

In his report, Glover empathized with Valderrama’s remarks.

“Everything she said, she’s right,” he said. “It’s tough and I understand it.

“But, again, it works two ways. We’ll examine it and learn from it.”

Board member Terry Payne echoed Glover’s sentiment.

“There is no perfect answer so I understand what you’re saying there,” he said to Glover.

“I understand a mom with elementary children… when you cancel elementary age kids, where do they go? If I’m a sophomore and I don’t want to go to the game, I’m going to stay home and do my thing.

“A third or fourth grader, they have to have supervision. I just understand this is a problem for parents like that when we shut the school down for an event and it puts the parents that have little ones in a pinch.”

Board President Jim Perdue asked if school would be affected should the teams advance past the quarterfinals. (Note: The Kingfisher boys won their quarterfinal game and advanced to the semifinals at 7 p.m. Friday. The Lady Jackets lost to Bethany.)

Glover noted the semifinal games were slated for Friday and KPS was already out of school that day.

Bethany advanced to the semifinals at noon Friday. That district announced Thursday it would be closing school on Friday to allow students and staff to attend.