Articles
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Budget & Tax, Law & Principles
Senate rejects House effort to pad lawmakers’ retirement
Members of the Oklahoma Senate have rejected legislation, advanced from the Oklahoma House of Representatives, that would have padded many legislators’ own retirement benefits.Ray Carter | April 11, 2022
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Budget & Tax, Law & Principles
OCPA praises Senators for rejecting retirement scheme
Members of the Senate took a strong stand against legislative self-dealing today by rejecting a House effort to quietly boost retirement benefits for state politicians, Oklahoma Council of Public Affairs President Jonathan Small said today.Staff | April 11, 2022
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Education
AG O’Connor: School transgender bathroom policy not mandated
There is no legal requirement forcing Oklahoma public schools to allow transgender individuals—biological males who identify as female—to have unfettered access to girls’ bathrooms, according to Oklahoma Attorney General John O’Connor.Ray Carter | April 11, 2022
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Education
State official criticizes Stillwater school bathroom policy
In a letter sent to the Stillwater Board of Education, Oklahoma Secretary of Education Ryan Walters said the board has adopted an “incorrect interpretation” of its requirements under federal Title IX law by declaring that students must be allowed to choose bathroom facilities based on self-identified gender identity rather than biology.Ray Carter | April 8, 2022
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Budget & Tax
Oklahoma House lawmakers vote to line their own pockets
Legislation recently passed by the Oklahoma House of Representatives boosts the taxpayer-funded retirement benefits of the same lawmakers who voted for the bill.Staff | April 8, 2022
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Education
Hofmeister: School transgender bathroom policies mandatory
A spokesperson for State Superintendent of Public Instruction Joy Hofmeister says Oklahoma public schools must allow students to use the bathroom of their choice, based on the student’s self-professed gender identity, and cannot restrict bathroom access based on biological gender.Ray Carter | April 7, 2022
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Education
Stillwater transgender-bathroom policy in place ‘for years’
Amidst pushback from parents about Stillwater Public Schools’ policy of allowing students to choose the bathroom facility that aligns with their self-proclaimed gender identity and not biology, the school’s superintendent recently announced that policy has been in place “for many years.”Ray Carter | April 7, 2022
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Education
Grand jury investigation sought for Shawnee schools
State Sen. Shane Jett has asked Oklahoma Attorney General John O’Connor to conduct a multi-county grand jury investigation into the Shawnee Public Schools district following citizen reports of a “systemic pattern” of school officials ignoring and covering up alleged student abuse by former coach Ron Arthur.Ray Carter | April 7, 2022
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Education
Let parents, not the state, decide on pre-K
It’s time to empower parents through school choice programs—including for pre-K—to make the right decision for their own children.Greg Forster, Ph.D. | April 5, 2022
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Education
Oklahoma schools ignoring long-term staff abuse of students
In 2007, Delinda Curtis notified the Shawnee Public Schools superintendent, athletic director, and at least one school board member that her son had reported being sexually groomed and mistreated by basketball coach Ron Arthur. Among other things, Arthur had fondled the boy’s testicles, encouraged him to visit porn sites, and made sexual comments.Ray Carter | April 4, 2022