As parents, educators, and community members here in Stillwater, Oklahoma, we are asking that our fifth grade students stay in our elementary schools. The current district plan has our 5th graders leaving elementary school to create a 5th and 6th grade center. We believe this decision-making process has not been transparent and is based on administrative concerns, not the best interests of our children and families.

Elementary schools are designed to be developmentally appropriate communities where children feel safe and cared for as they start their educational careers. In the not-too-distant past, elementary schools went through 6th grade. This realignment would have our students leaving elementary school after 4th grade, when students are ten years old and some of them are even nine years old.

Moving out of elementary school is inevitably a “coming of age” moment for students. No matter how much the next building is aligned with an elementary school, this departure comes with stress and pressure that we want to shield our children from at this tender age. School transitions are not neutral.

Keeping children in PreK–5 elementary schools also matters to families. Parents with children in different grades know how meaningful it is to have everyone in one school community. One drop-off. One pick-up. One group of teachers and staff who know your family. One place where your children can grow up together. It may sound simple, but those things make an enormous difference in the everyday lives of families.

Furthermore, retaining our students in the same schools where they’ve established strong relationships and feel secure reinforces community bonds. Elementary schools in Stillwater already offer programs tailored to fifth graders, including leadership initiatives and transition activities aimed at preparing them for middle school. These existing programs should be built upon, not cut short.

Lifting our children out of this cohesive, supportive environment risks alienating them during a pivotal age in their educational journey. By halting any move of our fifth graders to this yet-to-be-named school, we are committing to their success and well-being.

For months, parents have been emailing the school board and publicly discussing their concerns about moving 5th graders out of elementary schools. Until an email sent on Wednesday (9/23), just hours before a strategic planning meeting, the only explanation that parents, teachers, and community members had heard was that the district needed the space. But with declining birth rates and multiple new school options in Stillwater, that need has changed. Every elementary school in the district is under capacity according to the report that came out in September, and there are nearly 200 vacancies across our six elementary schools.

We should not move forward with an agenda that is no longer needed, predates much of our current leadership, and is not supported by our community. Since moving away from the originally proposed 9th grade center, we can also reconsider what happens with our other schools. There are other grade configurations that are possible and involve less disruption for our elementary schools, such as an 8th grade center, a 6th grade center, or a future 6–8th grade middle school. We urge the SPS School Board to consider other alternatives.

Stillwater Public Schools is one of the strongest school districts in the state, and we are proud to be Pioneers! We are ever grateful for the work that our teachers, staff, administrators, and board members do for our children. We want to preserve the quality of our educational communities while foregrounding the developmental and pedagogical needs of students.

Please sign this petition to insist that Stillwater Public Schools keep our fifth grade students in our elementary schools.