OWASSO — The Owasso Public Schools Board of Education on Monday heard from several attendees who voiced their concerns about the district’s handling of and response to student Nex Benedict’s death.
A person is escorted out of Monday night’s Owasso Public Schools board meeting after making an outburst. During the course of the meeting, seven protesters were removed for disruptive behavior.
Benedict, 16, who identified as nonbinary and used gender-neutral pronouns, died Feb. 8, one day after being involved in a fight inside a restroom at Owasso High School.
Benedict’s high-profile death has brought international attention as detectives continue to investigate details and evidence related to the Feb. 7 altercation amid public outcry over whether the sophomore was the target of a hate crime.
Around 70 people showed up at Monday’s meeting, which included six individuals who signed up to implore the district to take a stricter stance against bullying, especially toward students who identify as members of the LGBTQ+ community.
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“Do better; be better,” Nicole Gray, who self-identified as queer-nonbinary, said. “Give these kids a chance — not just to survive your schools but to thrive in them. Queer kids deserve safe and happy lives just as much as the straight ones do.”
LeaAnne Wilson, a lesbian mother of three children enrolled in Owasso, added: “My question to you guys is, what does ‘zero-tolerance policy’ mean? Are you guys following that? … Because if you guys were following that, we wouldn’t have these bullying cases going on.”
Wilson commented in reference to the district’s Bullying Prevention page, which specifies that “Owasso Public Schools’ student conduct code prohibits bullying” and provides references to help students and parents identify bullying as well as report cases.
Superintendent Margaret Coates stated in her report to the board on Monday that she and her staff are striving to “ensure that every student feels a sense of safety, security and belonging within our school walls” in the aftermath of Nex’s death.
“As we move forward with our strategic plan, this is an opportunity for us to review our policies, curriculum and programs,” Coates added. “I remain committed to listening and collaborating with our students, families, staff and community, and I invite everyone to join OPS in this important work.”
Madison Hutton, a 2019 Owasso High School graduate and an LGBTQ+ community member, took the podium to raise awareness about bullying but also brought a petition to the board to have a new monument built on district property to commemorate Benedict’s life and legacy.
“We demand that Owasso Public Schools erect a memorial park bench in Nex’s honor placed prominently on school grounds and funded entirely by the school district,” said Hutton, who currently has 814 signatures on the petition. “This bench will serve as a lasting tribute to Nex’s memory, as their story will not be silenced or forgotten.”
People at Owasso Public Schools’ board meeting on Monday, March 11, hold signs in remembrance of 16-year-old Nex Benedict, a nonbinary student who died a day after a fight with a group of girls in a high school restroom.
One attendee, Aaron Forst, signed up to speak in support of the district, commending Coates and her team for how they have handled the situation.
“This administration as a whole has done a fantastic job in keeping us informed about the things we need to know, keeping quiet about the things we cannot know at this time and dismantling any false information,” Forst said. “You have also continued to support and protect our children in countless ways.”
Forst sat a couple of rows in front of nearly two dozen attendees who showed up with signs and shirts that read: “Trans rights,” “Protect our kids,” “Every kid deserves safety,” “Justice for Nex” and “Owasso, what are we going to do about bullying?” Seven of the protesters were removed throughout the course of the evening for disruptive behavior.
Monday’s board meeting follows a student walkout on Feb. 26 that amplified the bullying discussion in Owasso. It also comes on the heels of the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Civil Rights opening a federal investigation of whether the district failed to appropriately respond to allegations of student harassment.
The investigation into Benedict’s death is ongoing after detectives in mid-February ruled out physical trauma as a cause of death, based on preliminary autopsy results from the Oklahoma State Medical Examiner’s Office. They are currently awaiting toxicology and other ancillary testing results.
An unnamed individual is escorted out for an outburst at the Owasso Public Schools board meeting Monday evening.
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Photos: See images of Owasso protesters rallying against Westboro Baptist Church
Owasso Protest
Hundreds of protesters showed up in Owasso on March 6 to demonstrate against the Westboro Baptist Church, an extremist group out of Topeka, Kansas, in the wake of Nex Benedict’s death.
Owasso Protest
Dozens of activists confronted seven members of Westboro, first outside Owasso Public Schools’ Dale C. Johnson Education Service Center, then outside Owasso High School, where hundreds more assembled to demonstrate against the radical group.
Owasso Protest
Dozens of activists confronted seven members of Westboro, first outside Owasso Public Schools’ Dale C. Johnson Education Service Center, then outside Owasso High School, where hundreds more assembled to demonstrate against the radical group.
Owasso Protest
Dozens of activists confronted seven members of Westboro, first outside Owasso Public Schools’ Dale C. Johnson Education Service Center, then outside Owasso High School, where hundreds more assembled to demonstrate against the radical group.
Owasso Protest
Dozens of activists confronted seven members of Westboro, first outside Owasso Public Schools’ Dale C. Johnson Education Service Center, then outside Owasso High School, where hundreds more assembled to demonstrate against the radical group.
Owasso Protest
Dozens of activists confronted seven members of Westboro, first outside Owasso Public Schools’ Dale C. Johnson Education Service Center, then outside Owasso High School, where hundreds more assembled to demonstrate against the radical group.
Owasso Protest
Dozens of activists confronted seven members of Westboro, first outside Owasso Public Schools’ Dale C. Johnson Education Service Center, then outside Owasso High School, where hundreds more assembled to demonstrate against the radical group.
Owasso Protest
Dozens of activists confronted seven members of Westboro, first outside Owasso Public Schools’ Dale C. Johnson Education Service Center, then outside Owasso High School, where hundreds more assembled to demonstrate against the radical group.
Owasso Protest
Dozens of activists confronted seven members of Westboro, first outside Owasso Public Schools’ Dale C. Johnson Education Service Center, then outside Owasso High School, where hundreds more assembled to demonstrate against the radical group.
Owasso Protest
Dozens of activists confronted seven members of Westboro, first outside Owasso Public Schools’ Dale C. Johnson Education Service Center, then outside Owasso High School, where hundreds more assembled to demonstrate against the radical group.
Owasso Protest
Dozens of activists confronted seven members of Westboro, first outside Owasso Public Schools’ Dale C. Johnson Education Service Center, then outside Owasso High School, where hundreds more assembled to demonstrate against the radical group.
Owasso Protest
Dozens of activists confronted seven members of Westboro, first outside Owasso Public Schools’ Dale C. Johnson Education Service Center, then outside Owasso High School, where hundreds more assembled to demonstrate against the radical group.
Owasso Protest
Dozens of activists confronted seven members of Westboro, first outside Owasso Public Schools’ Dale C. Johnson Education Service Center, then outside Owasso High School, where hundreds more assembled to demonstrate against the radical group.
Owasso Protest
Dozens of activists confronted seven members of Westboro, first outside Owasso Public Schools’ Dale C. Johnson Education Service Center, then outside Owasso High School, where hundreds more assembled to demonstrate against the radical group.
Owasso Protest
Dozens of activists confronted seven members of Westboro, first outside Owasso Public Schools’ Dale C. Johnson Education Service Center, then outside Owasso High School, where hundreds more assembled to demonstrate against the radical group.
Owasso Protest
Dozens of activists confronted seven members of Westboro, first outside Owasso Public Schools’ Dale C. Johnson Education Service Center, then outside Owasso High School, where hundreds more assembled to demonstrate against the radical group.
Owasso Protest
Dozens of activists confronted seven members of Westboro, first outside Owasso Public Schools’ Dale C. Johnson Education Service Center, then outside Owasso High School, where hundreds more assembled to demonstrate against the radical group.
Owasso Protest
Counter protest by Rainbow Youth Project and Parasol Patrol of the Westboro Baptist Church protesters related to Nex Benedict case in front of the Owasso High School in Owasso, OK, Mar. 6, 2024.
Owasso Protest
Counter protest by Rainbow Youth Project and Parasol Patrol of the Westboro Baptist Church protesters related to Nex Benedict case in front of the Owasso High School in Owasso, OK, Mar. 6, 2024.
Owasso Protest
Counter protest by Rainbow Youth Project and Parasol Patrol of the Westboro Baptist Church protesters related to Nex Benedict case in front of the Owasso High School in Owasso, OK, Mar. 6, 2024.
Owasso Protest
Counter protest by Rainbow Youth Project and Parasol Patrol of the Westboro Baptist Church protesters related to Nex Benedict case in front of the Owasso High School in Owasso, OK, Mar. 6, 2024.
Owasso Protest
Counter protest by Rainbow Youth Project and Parasol Patrol of the Westboro Baptist Church protesters related to Nex Benedict case in front of the Owasso High School in Owasso, OK, Mar. 6, 2024.
Owasso Protest
Ian Harris at counter protest by Rainbow Youth Project and Parasol Patrol of the Westboro Baptist Church protesters related to Nex Benedict case in front of the Owasso High School in Owasso, OK, Mar. 6, 2024.
Owasso Protest
Members of the Parasol Patrol hold rainbow-colored umbrellas to shield students from the picket signs of the Westboro Baptist Church group across the street from Owasso High School.
Owasso Protest
Counter protest by Rainbow Youth Project and Parasol Patrol suround the van carring the Westboro Baptist Church protesters related to Nex Benedict case as they leave in front of the Owasso High School in Owasso, OK, Mar. 6, 2024.
Owasso Protest
Counter protest by Rainbow Youth Project and Parasol Patrol of the Westboro Baptist Church protesters related to Nex Benedict case in front of the Owasso High School in Owasso, OK, Mar. 6, 2024.
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