Articles
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Education
Cobb, Small spar in school-choice forum
Public-school failures are often cited as justification for allowing state funds to instead follow a child to any school, which would give families greater leverage in education and allow them to choose from an array of options, including private schools.Ray Carter | February 25, 2022
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Culture & the Family
COVID numbers plunge as Oklahoma economy remains strong
When Gov. Kevin Stitt gave his State of the State address to lawmakers on Feb. 7, he highlighted the fact that Oklahoma was not among the states that significantly shut down their economies in response to COVID-19.Ray Carter | February 24, 2022
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Education
More whistleblowers emerge from Bowring school district
Two employees of the Bowring school district previously reported that students in the district have been emotionally abused so severely that multiple children have become suicidal, and that school administration has done nothing to address the problem.Ray Carter | February 24, 2022
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Education
School library concerns growing in Oklahoma
Growing awareness of school-library content—including graphic depictions of rape and incest, along with behavior that would get students expelled in most districts—has prompted parental concern and associated legislative responses this year.Ray Carter | February 23, 2022
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Education
School transparency measure clears Oklahoma Senate
Legislation that would require public reporting on administrative spending in public schools, including a comparison of academic outcomes and spending in comparable districts, has won easy passage out of the Oklahoma Senate.Ray Carter | February 21, 2022
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Education
Student career-preparedness measure gets narrow approval
Legislation that would require public schools to provide remediation to students who do not meet college-readiness benchmarks has cleared a state House subcommittee by a relatively narrow margin.Ray Carter | February 21, 2022
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Education
Oklahoma open-transfer law benefiting few students
An analysis of Oklahoma’s open-transfer law finds that school districts’ vacancy rate is small, especially in coveted suburban areas. Moreover, many districts are flouting the law’s transparency requirement.Ray Carter | February 18, 2022
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Criminal Justice
Oklahoma expungement measure advances
Legislation that would automatically expunge the criminal record of low-level offenders who have served their time, increasing the likelihood they are able to obtain future employment, has passed unanimously out of a state House committee.Ray Carter | February 18, 2022
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Law & Principles
Voter ID could be placed in state constitution
Oklahomans could place voter ID requirements into the state constitution under a measure that has won committee approval in the state Senate.Ray Carter | February 16, 2022
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Criminal Justice
Sentencing reform advances, but lawmakers wary
Legislation to address disparities in Oklahoma’s sentencing laws, and indirectly lower the incarceration rate, has advanced from a state Senate committee, but lawmakers expressed concern about the complexity of a broad-based overhaul.Ray Carter | February 16, 2022