To All Stakeholders in the Mustang Family,
I want to first of all reach out and thank the staff, students, and members of the community I’ve had the opportunity to meet in my first few days here at MMISD for their warm welcome. I can assure you that “being the new guys” has been a nerve racking experience for Alex and myself and both of us feel welcome and excited to be a part of this amazing district. My wife Ali and youngest son Aidan cannot wait to join us as soon as the school year ends as they are finishing up in Tenaha with my oldest son Andrew who will graduate in a month. My first week has been awesome and busy.
For everyone in the Mustang Nation I want to let you know I’m an “open door” superintendent. My primary goal is to establish a positive relationship and an atmosphere of trust with our students, staff, parents, and stakeholders. Hopefully as time goes by, you’ll see that I’m a giant cheerleader who gets excited by the success of kids. I am simply amazed already at all these kids have accomplished and how amazing they are at achieving at a high level in a place that sets a very high bar.
I had two goals as I sat down to type this communication. The first was to introduce myself and tell everyone a little bit about my philosophy. The second was to address an issue that has no “good answer”. Covid-19 has been an absolute destructive and life changing pandemic. Almost nothing exists as it did before. However, as time has gone by and vaccines have become available, it seems the world is trying to return to as much “normal” as it can while also keeping public health a priority. With that said, after speaking with Mr. Diehl our Board President, starting Monday, May 3 MMISD will be “relaxing” our mask mandates for staff and students at school. We will be adjusting from “required” to “recommended” use of face coverings and masks. So no longer will they be mandatory on campus. Of course any parents who still wish to take all precautions available and have their child wear a mask are welcome to do so. We also ask that all staff and students continue to observe social distancing when able and continue to monitor hand washing and all other protocols related to public health. I know the issues surrounding Covid-19 have been a source of frustration for everyone. There simply is not a one-size fits all answer. I believe strongly that we can however, find a balance between mitigating exposure and using common sense based on the data.
Again, I am beyond excited about the opportunities the amazing kids in Martin’s Mill have and can’t wait to be a bigger part of the Mustang Tradition.
Sincerely,
Scott Tyner
Superintendent of Schools