Parent asks Tahlequah school board to include dedicated girls wrestling space in bond measure

Emily Keys, a parent and advocate, asked the Tahlequah Public School District Board of Education to include a dedicated girls wrestling space in the district's upcoming bond measure. "That is why I'm here today, to ask for your support in including a dedicated girls wrestling space in the upcoming bond measure," she told the board.

Keys told the board the girls program has grown rapidly and achieved competitive and academic success. She said the school’s girls team has experienced substantial growth and reported that the team has produced state qualifiers, two ‘‘all-staters’’ and one girls state champion in recent years. She also said the team has earned back-to-back 6A academic state championships.

In her remarks, Keys asked the board to provide a separate practice and training space for girls wrestling, saying shared facilities with the boys limit growth and that other schools in the class provide dedicated spaces. She argued a dedicated space would support continued growth, make athletes feel included and increase opportunities for future college scholarships as more colleges add women’s wrestling.

Keys provided her address to the board as part of public comment and framed the request specifically as a proposal for the bond measure. The board read its public-comment policy before the session, noting speakers would have four minutes and the board and staff would not respond at the meeting.

The transcript does not show any motion or formal board action on the request during the meeting; Keys made the appeal during the public-comment portion of the agenda.