Tag: Schools

Bill to prohibit vapor products on school property advances

April 4, 2019

The House Common Education Committee has passed a bill that will prohibit vapor products on school property. Senate Bill 33, authored by Rep. Mark Vancuren, R-Owasso, and Sen. J.J. Dossett, D-Owasso, modifies the 24.7 Tobacco-Free Schools Act. The committee passed the bill 16-0. It is now eligible to be considered by the entire House. “This…

Guns at schools

March 28, 2019

A bill authorizing local school boards to adopt policies allowing authorized personnel to carry guns on campus passed the Oklahoma House . House Bill 2336 would allow districts to authorize certain personnel to carry a handgun on school property, as long as the personnel holds a valid reserve peace officer certification or possesses a valid…

Editorial: Bribery on university campuses

March 28, 2019

Bribery is a way of life in most countries of the world. That’s a fact. It’s not supposed to be that way in America because of the rule of law, our Constitution and law enforcement. Yet it does. And it should be no surprise when it involves public institutions of higher education. Federal prosecutors charged…

More rules for charters

March 21, 2019

A bill to require the same level of transparency from virtual charter schools as other public schools passed the Oklahoma House of Representatives. House Bill 1395 amends language in the Oklahoma Charter Schools Act of 2012 to hold virtual charter schools subject to the same financial reporting requirements and audits as traditional school districts. The…

Marijuana banned on TPS campuses

March 21, 2019

Tulsa Public Schools has a new policy that prohibits medical marijuana on campus. Oklahoma voters approved the use of medical marijuana in 2018 but it possession is still against federal law. You must have a license to legally use marijuana in the state. Federal law prohibits the use of marijuana in the workplace. The new…

Municipal, school votes on April 2

March 14, 2019

Several area elections – including school board races in Tulsa and Broken Arrow – are scheduled for April 2. Those races are: District 1, Tulsa Board of Education Office 4, Broken Arrow Public Schools Office 4, Union Public Schools Office 2, Keystone School District District 7, Tulsa Technology Center Ward 3, City of Bixby City…

5-day school week bill

February 28, 2019

The Senate Education Committee approved a bill to essentially mandate five-day school weeks in Oklahoma schools. Senate Bill 441 by Senator Marty Quinn, R-Claremore, says all public schools shall be in session for no less than 180 days. Currently, schools are to be in session for 1,080 hours. The bill provides exemptions to the five-day…

Five headed to the Rogers Hall of Fame

February 28, 2019

What do rock-and-roll legend Leon Russell and S. E. Hinton, author of The Outsiders, have in common? They are both members of the Tulsa Will Rogers High School Hall of Fame. They’ll be joined by a new class of Hall of Fame inductees during ceremonies on March 29. The list is: R. David Bynum, cell…

Runoff set in school board election

February 21, 2019

Tulsa school board District 2 incumbent Jania Wester won re-election February 12 and Nicole Nixon and Stacey Woolley will advance to a runoff election April 2 for the open seat in District 1. Wester got 280 votes (75 percent) over Gary Cooper. Wester was appointed to the District 2 seat in October following the resignation…

Report shows state teacher shortage

February 21, 2019

Using historical educational and population data, market trends and demand-supply projections, the 2018 Oklahoma Educator Supply and Demand Report shows the percentage of educators leaving the profession has increased over the past six years, representing more than 5,000 per year or a total of approximately 30,000. This is average of 10 percent of Oklahoma’s teacher…