Articles
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Criminal Justice, Good Government
McGirt helping Aryan Brotherhood, harming Indians?
Oklahomans have been assured tribal police help provide a “blanket of protection” for all citizens despite the McGirt ruling. But state law enforcement officials tell a different story and say McGirt has created a blanket of protection mostly for criminals, including a member of the Universal Aryan Brotherhood.Ray Carter | October 25, 2021
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Health Care
‘Nonbinary’ settlement draws strong pushback from Stitt
A reported court settlement agreed to by officials at the Oklahoma State Department of Health, which created a process for designating an individual’s sex as “nonbinary” on Oklahoma birth certificates, has drawn swift condemnation from Gov. Kevin Stitt and other officials.Ray Carter | October 21, 2021
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Law & Principles
McGirt leads to another reservation ruling
The fallout of the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling in McGirt v. Oklahoma has led to yet another court ruling that formally re-established another reservation in Oklahoma—the land of the Quapaw Nation in northeast Oklahoma—compounding the jurisdictional chaos that critics say has severely reduced public safety in those areas.Ray Carter | October 21, 2021
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Education
Quality, not seniority, stressed for teacher pay
Among the reasons Oklahoma struggles to retain quality teachers is that existing financial incentives encourage teachers to leave the classroom and that basing teacher salaries on seniority, rather than performance, discourages good teachers and leads them to quickly abandon the profession, officials told lawmakers during a recent study.Ray Carter | October 21, 2021
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Budget & Tax
Biden’s tax hikes, spending spree would cause harm
Though the U.S. is nowhere close to becoming Venezuela, what is happening there should be a cautionary tale for the Biden administration.Curtis Shelton | October 21, 2021
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Education
OSSBA declines to publicly condemn attack on parents
The head of the Oklahoma State School Boards Association said his group is not planning to publicly condemn the National School Boards Association’s recent request that parent protesters at school board meetings be investigated by federal officials under anti-terrorism laws.Ray Carter | October 21, 2021
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Education
Testing results show need to fund students, not systems
Previously, only about one-third of students performed at grade level in key subjects. Today, things are even worse.Jonathan Small | October 20, 2021
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Education
Activist groups file lawsuit against HB 1775
A coalition of activist groups has filed a federal lawsuit challenging an Oklahoma state law that prohibits public schools from teaching children that “one race or sex is inherently superior to another race or sex.”Ray Carter | October 20, 2021
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Education
School diversity officers associated with worse achievement
Nationwide, K-12 schools are hiring chief diversity officers to promote diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) goals, typically in the name of reducing racial achievement gaps.Ray Carter | October 19, 2021
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Higher Education
‘Race’ and ‘indigeneity’: Oklahoma higher ed is hiring
Can anyone get hired in Norman who is not a committed left-winger?Mike Brake | October 19, 2021