Residents and students of Tanner High School have been invited to attend public meetings to air any concerns they might have.

The meetings, which are being organized by the Tanner Community Engagement Committee, were announced Wednesday by Limestone County Schools on the system’s Facebook page. The first of the meetings was held Wednesday afternoon.

Tanner High students are invited to meet with the committee at 3:30 p.m. today in the school library. The meeting is not mandatory, but the committee would like to hear any concerns students have about the Tanner community.

Another meeting is set for 5:30 p.m. today for all members of the Tanner community. The committee wants to hear any suggestions “regarding healing and bridging the gap in their community.”

The effort to meet with community members was prompted by the school system’s March 12 decision to place Tanner High School Principal Louis Gordon on paid administrative leave. Three Gordon supporters spoke in favor of reinstating him at Wednesday’s regularly scheduled school board meeting.

Tanner pastor Eddie Walton said the climate at the school had changed since Gordon was removed. He asked the board how much longer the investigation would take place.

“Our superintendent says there is no timetable,” Walton said. “There is no secret they’re going back to Tanner asking teachers the same questions. There were no policies broken. What is going on why Mr. Gordon cannot be reinstated?”

Wilbert Woodruff, president of the Limestone County NAACP, said Gordon, an African-American, is the perfect person to lead a school that has a minority population of 67 percent. He implored the board to reinstate Gordon for the good of the students.

“I think a person being paid to do a job and sitting at home for over six weeks is just unacceptable,” he said. “We should get this man somewhere where he can be productive for this school system. … We need him and we need this system to do better. Act quickly to restore him.”