Articles
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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
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Law & Principles
U.S. Supreme Court allows McGirt limit to stand
The U.S. Supreme Court has denied a petition for certiorari, leaving in place an Oklahoma Court of Criminal Appeals’ decision declaring the high court’s McGirt ruling will not be applied retroactively.Ray Carter | January 11, 2022
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Budget & Tax, Education
Public schools carry over more than $1 billion
Oklahoma public schools carried over more than $1 billion at the end of the 2021 state budget year, marking an increase of more than 50 percent in school savings over the past five years.Ray Carter | January 10, 2022
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Law & Principles
Biden administration argues it can mandate numerous vaccines
Defending its effort to make COVID-19 vaccination, or routine testing, a condition of private-sector employment, the Biden administration told the U.S. Supreme Court that federal law allows the executive branch to unilaterally mandate vaccinations through the Occupational Safety and Health Administration—and said the administration has the authority to require additional vaccinations as well.Ray Carter | January 7, 2022
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Higher Education
Despite vaccines, OSU brings back masks
Even with COVID-19 vaccines readily available, Oklahoma State University intends to require masking in classrooms under certain circumstances.Maddison Farris | January 7, 2022
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Education
Edmond Public Schools to appeal judge’s ruling
Edmond Public Schools plans to appeal a judge’s order that prevents the district from quarantining healthy children as part of its response to COVID-19, even though the judge found that quarantine policy was “irrational,” provided “no benefit” in reducing COVID spread, and imposed “tremendous harm” on students.Ray Carter | January 6, 2022
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Education
OSSBA offers schools lesson that bashes racial equality
A digital resources library offered to Oklahoma schools by the Oklahoma State School Boards Association (OSSBA) includes a “Racial Equity and Justice Initiative Challenge to Change Series” for students as young as pre-K that denounces the concept of racial equality and suggests only white individuals can be racist.Ray Carter | January 5, 2022