Articles
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Law & Principles
U.S. Supreme Court to consider McGirt limits
The U.S. Supreme Court has agreed to hear a case brought by the State of Oklahoma that could lead to curtailment of the court’s prior decision in McGirt v. Oklahoma, which effectively held that most of eastern Oklahoma consists of Indian reservations.Ray Carter | January 21, 2022
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Education
Senate leader seeks school choice for all families
Senate President Pro Tempore Greg Treat has filed legislation that would provide school-choice opportunities to all Oklahoma families, allowing parents to use state funds to pay for their children to attend any school, including private schools.Ray Carter | January 21, 2022
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Education
Democrat governor’s teacher plan mirrors Stitt’s, draws praise from education groups
The Democratic governor of New Mexico, Michelle Lujan Grisham, unveiled an almost-identical plan a day after Stitt. While the provisions of the two plans were mostly the same, the response they received varied widely with little to explain the difference other than partisanship.Ray Carter | January 20, 2022
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Education
OEA official decries parent involvement in schools
To counter the growing influence of what she calls “angry parents” who are frustrated, a teacher-union official says the OEA has obtained funding to bus people to Oklahoma City, pay for a hotel, and take them to the state Capitol to lobby.Ray Carter | January 19, 2022
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Education
Stitt announces effort to increase substitute teachers
An executive order issued by Gov. Kevin Stitt will allow 32,000 Oklahoma state government employees to serve as substitute teachers without forgoing their normal salary, which will help school districts continue offering in-person instruction amidst the national surge in omicron-variant COVID cases.Ray Carter | January 18, 2022
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Budget & Tax
McGirt decision creating millions in new expenses for state
While the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling in McGirt v. Oklahoma may have stripped the state of the power to prosecute countless crimes involving a mix of Indians and non-Indians in eastern Oklahoma, it has not reduced state law-enforcement expenses, officials told lawmakers at a recent budget hearing.Ray Carter | January 17, 2022
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Education
Lankford pressures Biden administration on parents-as-terrorists letter
U.S. Sen. James Lankford, R-Oklahoma City, is among 24 senators calling on U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona to explain what role he or any staff at the U.S. Department of Education played in the production of a letter that labeled parents the equivalent of terrorists.Ray Carter | January 14, 2022
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Law & Principles
Court rules against Biden vaccine mandate
The Biden administration’s effort to make COVID-19 vaccines a condition of employment throughout the private sector has been rejected by the U.S. Supreme Court, although the court separately ruled that the Biden administration does have the authority to impose a vaccine mandate on health-care workers at facilities receiving Medicaid or Medicare funding.Ray Carter | January 14, 2022
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Education
Oklahoma parents left in lurch by school closings
More than $2 billion in federal COVID-bailout funds have been provided to Oklahoma school districts since 2020 to cover the costs to safely open amidst the pandemic. But despite that lavish infusion of cash, numerous schools are now closing again amidst the rise of the Omicron variant.Ray Carter | January 13, 2022
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Higher Education
In free-speech report, OU pretends lawsuit doesn’t exist
When Oklahoma legislators approved a 2019 law protecting college students’ free-speech rights, they included a requirement for state colleges to publicly post an annual report that includes “a description of any barriers to or incidents of disruption of free expression occurring on campus.”Ray Carter | January 11, 2022