Articles
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Education
Stillwater transgender policy shows need for school choice
Parents in the Stillwater school district report that students have been allowed to select bathroom facilities based not on their biological gender, but on the identity the student professes that day—even though the district has single-occupant bathrooms for gender-nonconforming students.Ray Carter | March 16, 2022
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Law & Principles
McGirt decision defunding courts, public safety
The U.S. Supreme Court’s McGirt v. Oklahoma decision, which created jurisdictional chaos in Oklahoma by effectively declaring that most of eastern Oklahoma remains Indian reservations, is indirectly defunding court systems and public-safety entities throughout much of the state, according to the Senate’s top budget official.Ray Carter | March 15, 2022
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Education
Parent access to child library records granted under bill
Parents would have an undisputed right to access their child’s school library records under legislation approved by the Oklahoma House of Representatives.Ray Carter | March 15, 2022
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Education
'Opt-in' policies a response to graphic school material?
The inclusion of content many parents view as inappropriate and/or intrusive in school surveys and other materials is leading some officials to suggest schools should have to receive parental permission in advance.Ray Carter | March 14, 2022
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Education, Law & Principles
Bureaucrats retain power under open-transfer law
When lawmakers voted last year to expand open-transfer opportunities, allowing families to more easily send children to school districts other than the one in which they reside, supporters thought the change would empower parents.Jonathan Small | March 13, 2022
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Culture & the Family
A man of vision
What can one man do? If the man is Dr. David Brown, founder of the Oklahoma Council of Public Affairs, the answer is, “A lot.” Thanks to Dr. Brown’s vision and tenacity, many Oklahomans today enjoy greater opportunities and a better quality of life.Jonathan Small | March 12, 2022
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Education
Concerns about Hofmeister politicization, competence arise
Recent financial estimates produced by Oklahoma State Department of Education (OSDE) are leading a top lawmaker to question whether the agency has become politicized under the leadership of State Superintendent of Public Instruction Joy Hofmeister.Ray Carter | March 11, 2022
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Education
Is the status quo working?
According to a 2019 survey conducted by WPA Intelligence, only a third of Oklahoma voters say Oklahoma’s public education system is providing a good return on investment.Brandon Dutcher & Curtis Shelton | March 11, 2022
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Education
Oklahoma school-choice bill gets national endorsements
A major effort to expand school choice opportunity is not only receiving widespread attention and support in Oklahoma, but also nationwide support as major conservative leaders have now endorsed the bill.Ray Carter | March 10, 2022
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Education
School CRT regulations updated, but critics say more needed
The State Board of Education has approved permanent rules for a new state law that bans schools from teaching certain concepts broadly associated with Critical Race Theory, but one critic told the board the regulations do not go far enough.Ray Carter | March 10, 2022