The third week of the 2024 legislative session concluded last Friday with committee meetings once again dominating legislators’ time ahead of this Thursday’s deadline when bills must be advanced from their committee of origin. Any bill not advanced from committee by the deadline will be considered dead for the remainder of the session.
Floor activity has been light so far but will take center stage beginning March 4 as both chambers hear bills advanced from committee. The deadline for a bill to be advanced from either floor is March 14.
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Oklahoma Senate approves grocery tax cut. Measure heads to Gov. Kevin Stitt’s desk. |
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The Oklahoma Senate on Thursday sent Gov. Kevin Stitt a bill that would eliminate the state’s sales tax on groceries.
Stitt is expected to sign it.
House Bill 1955 passed by a vote of 42-2.
In addition to eliminating the state’s 4.5% tax, it would put a moratorium on the ability of cities and counties to raise their sales taxes on groceries until July 1, 2025.
Sen. Mary Boren, D-Norman, joined Senate Appropriations Chairman Roger Thompson, R-Okemah, in voting against the bill.
Thompson cited several needs the state has, and its history of down budget years.
Boren said local cities and towns will increase the tax once the moratorium expires, eliminating any savings to the taxpayer. In addition, the state still needs to make additional investments in services, she said.
The measure would reduce state revenue by about $418 million a year and take effect in late August, said Senate President Pro Tem Greg Treat, R-Oklahoma City.
Treat said the measure would result in a flat budget for the upcoming fiscal year.
It only takes a simple majority of the legislature to cut taxes, but a super majority of both chambers to increase taxes due to State Question 640.
Treat said the state has $1.274 billion in the Rainy Day fund, $4.1 million in the Revenue Stabilization fund and $2 billion in cash.
“It is time to deliver on this,” he said.
Treat said the measure would not apply to items sold at grocery stores that are prepared for immediate consumption, such as a warm pizza or bowl of mixed fruit.
Treat said the measure, unlike a proposal to reduce the state’s income tax, affects the basic necessities of life for most Oklahomans.
Sen. Dusty Deevers, R-Elgin, argued for further tax cuts.
“I will say I did come up here not just for lowering the grocery tax, but principally for getting the unjust taxation off the backs of our people,” Deevers said, adding that the income tax is unjust.
House Speaker Charles McCall, R-Atoka, thanked the Senate for passing the measure, but was critical of the delay. The House passed the measure last session.
“The delay in the vote cost Oklahomans an estimated additional $374 million in taxes, and the lack of an emergency to immediately put the cuts in place will cost our citizens another $200 million, but Senate leadership did their best to at least secure passage,” McCall said.
He called on the Senate to approve a reduction in the state’s income tax.
Treat on Wednesday said the state tax on groceries was the only cut the Senate would consider.
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Edmond state representative Erick Harris takes office |
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House lawmakers welcomed a new member on Wednesday.
Republican Erick Harris, of Edmond, took the oath of office to represent State House District 39. The district primarily covers Edmond.
During an interview after the ceremony, Harris said he’s “very excited to get started.”
“We’ve got a lot of issues that we need to tackle,” Harris said. “I look forward to being one of those individuals to dig in deep and work hard for our state.”
He said his top issues to begin with will be education, the economy, taxes and policies that create a good business environment.
“Anything I can do to help support those areas, that’s exactly what I’m going to focus on,” Harris said.
Harris, a small business attorney and former assistant attorney general, succeeds former Republican Rep. Ryan Martinez. Martinez resigned after pleading guilty to being in physical control of a vehicle while intoxicated.
Harris defeated Democrat Regan Raff and Libertarian Richard Prawdzienski in a special election earlier this month.
His addition brings the total number of Republicans serving in the 101-member House to 81.
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Bill to expand Oklahoma’s Promise to children of teachers passes subcommittee |
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Rep. Anthony Moore, R-Clinton, on Monday secured unanimous subcommittee passage of a bill that would extend the Oklahoma Promise Scholarship to all children of a certified, full-time teacher who has taught for at least 10 years in an Oklahoma public school classroom and is currently teaching.
“House Bill 3454 would make a tremendous impact in recruiting and retaining teachers and
college students,” he said. “We know those students attending school here are 87% more likely to stay to live, work and raise a family here. This helps us develop our workforce and fortify our state.”
The Oklahoma Higher Learning Access Program (OHLAP), better known as Oklahoma’s Promise, allows students who meet certain income, academic and conduct requirements to earn a college or technology tuition scholarship. It was created in 1992 by the Legislature to help more Oklahoma families send their children to college. The program is administered by the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education.
Currently, the program stipulates that while a student is in eighth- through 11th-grade, their parents’ adjusted gross income must not exceed $60,000 if there are one or two dependent children, $70,000 for three or four dependent children and $80,000 with five or more dependent children. Special income provisions apply to students adopted from certain court ordered custody and children in the custody of court-appointed legal guardians or to those children who receive social security benefits based on the disability or death of their parents.
Moore’s proposed legislation would expand this to include any student of a certified teacher,
regardless of the parent’s income, as long as the parent has taught full-time for at least 10 years in an Oklahoma public school classroom.
Moore said he also hopes the measure might help address the number of alternative emergency certified teachers in Oklahoma classrooms.
“We’ve heard for many years now that Oklahoma, along with many others states across the
nation, has a critical teacher shortage,” Moore said. “It’s hard, particularly in rural areas, to recruit and retain certified teachers who have been specifically trained to address the learning needs of the young people that fill our public-school classrooms.”
Moore said too often schools have to rely on long-term substitutes or make do with moving teachers around to fill gaps, not necessarily in subjects or grades for which they were trained or
for which they have a true passion.
“Our school districts and teachers do a remarkable job despite the obstacles, but they can use all the help we can give them,” Moore sad. “This could be a groundbreaking path toward recruitment and retention.”
Moore said he was motivated in part to run this bill by the Inspired to Teach scholarships that were signed into law in 2022. Those pay a bonus to prospective teachers once they have completed educational requirements and as they perform their service in state public schools.
Moore said it’s his understanding students could potentially qualify for both scholarships if they
are children of a teacher and decide to become teachers themselves.
“If they could graduate an Oklahoma college or university debt free and with a stipend to help them focus on their new profession, that would be an incredible benefit to them and the students they will teach,” he said.
House Bill 3454 passed 12-0 in the House Appropriations & Budget Subcommittee for Education
and now passes to the full House A&B Committee for consideration.
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School Safety Interoperability Fund passes subcommittee |
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Rep. Ross Ford, R-Broken Arrow, today passed a bill the House Appropriations & Budget Subcommittee on Education that would improve safety for students in state schools.
House Bill 3860 would create the School Safety Interoperability Fund, allowing school districts to acquire interoperable communications and alarm systems that can be used between schools,
counties, municipalities and law enforcement departments in the event of emergencies or school shootings. The fund would be administered by the Department of Public Safety.
“This would allow even our smallest districts that don’t have the means to purchase elaborate radio or camera systems to interact with their local law enforcement departments should an emergency arise,” Ford said.
Ford, a former police officer and the former director of security for Union Public Schools, said this bill could help save lives when minutes count. He said he’s spoken with various law enforcement agencies and with technology experts in the field who have assured him that these interoperable systems can work no matter the size of the district or the limited equipment they may have available.
“They might have bought their cameras at Costco and installed them themselves,” Ford said. “But I’m told that once these interoperable systems are in place, an officer can receive a call and flip a switch and get first-hand information of what is going on in the school, enabling them to form a plan while they are enroute to deliver assistance.”
Ford said he is still working out the exact amount that might be available in this year’s budget to appropriate to the fund. It is designed to work alongside legislation passed last year that provides $50 million annually for three years to rural and underserved schools as startup grants for school resource officer (SRO) programs.
Ford said the measure will enhance and make school security more robust, not replace any school resource officer already in a school.
When questioned about whether such a coordinated approach would help prevent school shooting tragedies, Ford said he had every confidence that would be the case.
“We already put this in motion when we gave the Department of Public Safety the ability to train all of our school resource officers the same way across the state,” Ford said. “By having that unified training in place, we already are way ahead of the game. I think with our security guards in our schools and our SRO program, we would never have a Uvalde in Oklahoma. We have dedicated law enforcement and school security officers, and I know I myself would never hesitate to go in by myself to an active shooter situation if need be. Other officers statewide have expressed the same sentiment. They are going to protect students’ lives at all cost.”
HB3860 passed the subcommittee unanimously on a vote of 12-0. It is now eligible to be considered by the full House A&B Committee.
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Sex education opt-in legislation narrowly advances out of Oklahoma House committee |
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An Oklahoma House committee narrowly advanced a measure that would only allow a student to receive sexual education if their parents opt in.
House Bill 3120, by Rep. Danny Williams, R-Seminole, also removes a requirement that students be taught about consent during sexual encounters.
Currently, state law requires parents to opt out if they don’t want their child to learn about sexual education in school, but Williams aims to flip that so parents instead have to give written permission for their child to receive it.
“People should know what their (children) are being asked to be involved in,” he said.
Williams said when he attended school, sexual education wasn’t part of the curriculum.
His bill also requires schools to include lessons dealing with biological sex classifications.
It also allows people to ignore preferred pronouns, such as he or she, if the pronouns don’t correspond to a person’s biological sex.
He said he’s concerned that parents don’t pay attention to notes that come home from school and might miss the opportunity to opt out. He believes it should be up to a parent to decide whether a child should learn about sexuality in school.
“If it passes and becomes a law, a lot more parents will be completely engaged in their children’s education because it will challenge them to be part of the decision making process,” Williams said.
Rep. Nick Archer, R-Elk City, who voted against the measure, said he’s concerned that parents, who want their children to receive sexual education, might overlook the school notes that allow them to opt in.
He said Oklahoma ranks in the Top 10 in HIV transmission rates and for some sexually transmitted infections, especially in rural areas.
Some parents believe trained sexual education teachers are better prepared to educate about preventing the spread of those diseases, Archer said.
He said he’s also concerned that the bill removes the requirement to teach students about consent.
Rep. Jay Steagall, R-Yukon, said requiring parents to opt in allows parents to provide “positive affirmation” that children should participate.
But Rep. Jared Deck, D-Norman, said he’s concerned that the change might violate federal laws that prohibit discrimination based on sex in education programs.
Students whose parents aren’t actively involved might miss out on sex education, Deck said.
“When we send kids home to abusive spaces, to parents who are irresponsible, what is the consequence for their actions or their lack of actions whenever they aren’t teaching,” he said, adding that he’s concerned a lack of comprehensive sex education could lead to negative family outcomes.
He also said the lawmakers are continually changing the state’s curriculum at a time when school districts need dependability. Local communities want the power to decide what’s being taught in their schools, Deck said. They don’t want lawmakers dictating that to them, he said.
The measure, which passed 4-3, heads to the full House.
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Oklahoma Senate committee OKs $8.3 million to restart McAlester prison rodeo |
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A Senate panel on Wednesday passed a bill that would provide $8.3 million to restart the prison rodeo in McAlester.
Senate Bill 1427, by Sen. Darcy Jech, R-Kingfisher, passed by a vote of 5-0 and heads to the Senate Appropriations Committee for consideration.
According to a bill summary, the funds are to be used for “constructing, repairing, improving, upgrading, and rehabilitation of the Oklahoma State Penitentiary prison rodeo arena.”
Jech said the funds would be a one-time appropriation.
He said there is no commitment for a local match.
“There used to be a prison rodeo in that part of the state, and I am told it was very successful,” Jech said.
The last rodeo was held in 2009, said Kay Thompson, an Oklahoma Department of Corrections spokeswoman.
In 2010, state budget cuts, low attendance and crumbling facilities contributed to the closing of the prison rodeo, according to the agency.
The agency has already invested $1 million in repairing the arena, Thompson said.
“Bringing back the beloved rodeo is very exciting,” said Department of Corrections Director Steven Harpe. “We’re ready to begin the process and see Oklahomans fill the stands and be entertained.”
The venue is expected to host multiple events throughout the year and promote economic development.
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House committee passes numerous AI regulation bills |
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The Oklahoma House Government Modernization and Technology Committee passed numerous artificial intelligence (AI) regulation bills on Tuesday.
House Bill 3453, authored by Rep. Jeff Boatman, R-Tulsa, would establish the Oklahoma Artificial Intelligence Bill of Rights, which defines “artificial intelligence” and “real person.” The bill also outlines eight ways Oklahomans are entitled to information about the use of AI, such as the right to know when they’re interacting with an AI engine rather than a real person and the
right to opt out of their data being used in an AI model.
“In the age of AI, transparency is paramount,” said Boatman, who chairs the committee. “The Oklahoma Artificial Intelligence Bill of Rights empowers Oklahomans and ensures citizens have the right to understand AI interactions and protect their privacy and data.”
House Bill 3577, authored by Rep. Daniel Pae, R-Lawton, establishes the Artificial Intelligence Utilization Review Act. The measure would require healthcare insurance companies to disclose any use of artificial intelligence-based algorithms in their utilization review process to healthcare providers, covered persons and the general public. The disclosure must be made on the insurer’s website, and the company is required to submit the algorithms and training data sets to the Oklahoma Insurance Department. Additionally, specialists participating in utilization reviews using AI algorithms must document individual clinical records before making denial decisions.
“AI is still new and it’s no doubt still flawed to some degree,” Pae said. “By mandating disclosure and documentation, we can better safeguard against potential biases within AI systems in healthcare decisions.”
In October, Pae and Rep. Arturo Alonso-Sandoval, D-Oklahoma City, led an interim study on the ethical, legal and societal implications of AI implementation, including privacy, bias and algorithmic transparency.
During Tuesday’s meeting, Alonso-Sandoval passed legislation prohibiting the use of deepfakes during elections. House Bill 3825 prohibits the dissemination of deceptive deepfake media within 90 days of an election, except when a clear disclosure is provided. The measure provides definitions of synthetic media and deceptive and fraudulent deepfake. Violators may face penalties, but exceptions exist for news broadcasts, publications and satire.
Alonso-Sandoval also passed House Bill 3828, which requires the Office of Management and Enterprise Services (OMES) and the Administrative Office of the Courts to inventory all systems that use AI by Dec. 31, 2024 and each following year. State agencies that do not use OMES must inventory their own systems and post the inventory list on their website. The bill also would require assessments of agencies’ AI systems to ensure the systems do not discriminate.
“Artificial Intelligence has become an integral part of our day-to-day lives, touching everything from our personal routines to our statewide systems,” Alonso-Sandoval said. “Recognizing the advantages and acknowledging the challenges that AI presents, I remain committed to bipartisan collaboration to position Oklahoma as a leader in this field. Our state has made great strides in integrating AI responsibly, always with the welfare of our citizens as the guiding principle.
HB3828 and HB3825 reflect our dedication to transparency in AI adoption, granting Oklahomans the clear right to know when they are interacting with AI-driven platforms or viewing AI- generated content while also ensuring they are properly vetted for potential bias and discrimination.”
All four bills passed the committee unanimously and are now available to be considered on the House floor.
Earlier this month, the House Judiciary – Criminal Committee approved House Bill 3073 by Rep.Neil Hays, R-Checotah, which criminalizes publishing or distributing digitized representations of another individual’s name, image, voice or likeness without their written consent and with the intent to harm. HB3073 is also eligible to be heard on the House floor.
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Alvord earns bipartisan support for bill to protect children from online pornography |
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On Monday, Senate Bill 1959, authored by Sen. Jerry Alvord, R- Wilson, was approved overwhelmingly by the Business and Commerce Committee with a bipartisan 12-1 vote. The bill seeks to restrict online access to pornography for those underage.
“I am pleased that the Business and Commerce Committee recognized the importance of this bill,” Alvord said. “Passage of this bill into law will give parents and all responsible adults one more tool in the toolkit to protect kids from pornographic materials.”
While other states have enacted age-verification programs, Oklahoma has not. After learning of this and meeting with multiple concerned parents and community leaders from across the state, Alvord authored bill SB 1959.
“It was brought to my attention that Oklahoma lacks safeguards in online access to pornography, allowing loopholes for underage children to access materials not intended for their age group,” Alvord said.
SB 1959 now moves to the Senate floor for approval.
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House approves legislation to protect against digitized deception |
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Rep. Neil Hays, R-Checotah, secured passage of a bill designed to prevent the unauthorized sharing of digitized depictions of individuals.
House Bill 3073 would criminalize publishing or distributing digitized representations of someone else’s name, image, voice, or likeness without their written consent and with the intent to harm.
“This bill aims to prevent the misuse of artificial intelligence as a weapon against individuals,” Hays said. “Our goal is not to control AI, but rather to create a responsible environment for its development and utilization by adapting to technological advancements and establishing regulatory frameworks.”
As an example, Hays cited the case of Lainey Wilson being targeted by deep fakes produced by artificial intelligence. Wilson revealed in her testimony to Congress that an AI-generated likeness of herself was used to promote weight loss products despite never endorsing them.
The measure introduces misdemeanor and felony charges for sharing and publishing specific digitized content. A first offense is a misdemeanor, while a second offense becomes a felony, punishable by at least one year in jail and a $5,000 fine. Failure to disclose that an image is digitized will result in a misdemeanor.
HB3073 passed the House 81-15.
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Report shows Oklahoma has fewer producers, but some counties had an increase of farmers and ranchers |
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The latest U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Census of Agriculture shows overall Oklahoma has fewer farmers and ranchers, but not every county saw a decrease in producers.
USDA conducts a census of the nation’s farms and ranchers every five years. The report shows the state and nation have fewer producers and less farmland. Oklahoma lost 4,876 producers from 2017 through 2022, according to the census.
Andrew Van Leuven, an assistant professor at Oklahoma State University and a state extension specialist for rural development, calculated the number of producers on a county level using data from the report.
He said producers made up about 30% of the population in Cimarron, Ellis and Grant counties. In Tulsa, Cleveland and Oklahoma counties, he said farmers and ranchers accounted for less than 1% of their county’s population.
“The interesting thing is looking at the changes from 2017 to 2022,” Van Leuven said. “You can see some quite rural, ag oriented counties, stayed that way and even intensified.”
For instance, Northern Oklahoma’s Grant County gained farmers. It saw an increase of 328 producers, the highest hike of all the counties.
On the flip side, McCurtain County had the largest decrease in producers during this time. Numbers from the census show 422 producers left the area as tourism grew.
When looking at rural employment numbers, he said it’s complex.
“Is there a lot of other opportunities for people to continue to earn money or is the main centerpiece of the economy in those rural areas drying up? And so, it’s usually more complicated of a story than just it’s dying or it’s thriving,” Van Leuven said.
He said typically if agriculture is fading as a main employment opportunity in an area, it will be replaced or that area’s economic vitality will shrink.
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Nonbinary student’s death prompts anger at Oklahoma state board meeting |
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The death of a 16-year-old nonbinary student in Oklahoma cast a cloud of mourning and frustration over Thursday’s gathering of the state’s top school board.
Meetings of the Oklahoma State Board of Education have become a nexus point of contention over issues affecting public schools and students.
Thursday was no different, as the death of Owasso High School student Nex Benedict prompted outrage across the country and among several meeting attendees. Some speakers claimed anti-transgender policies and messaging from state officials caused the student to be attacked and bullied.
Nex died Feb. 8 of an unconfirmed cause.
Nex identified as nonbinary and used they/them pronouns. Nonbinary people do not identify as strictly male or female.
The Owasso Police Department said the student received hospital care after being involved in a fight in a school restroom on Feb. 7. Nex suffered a medical emergency the next day and died at the St. Francis Hospital Emergency Room.
Owasso police announced Wednesday an autopsy found trauma was not the cause of death.
“At this time, any further comments on the cause of death are currently pending until toxicology results and other ancillary testing results are received,” police said in a statement.
An autopsy report will be available at a later date, police reported.
State Superintendent Ryan Walters urged the public to wait for more details from law enforcement “before we pass judgment.”
“Losing a student is extremely difficult,” Walters said during the meeting. “We should be keeping the Owasso families, communities in our prayers. It’s a heartbreaking tragedy and it’s difficult to so many folks over there. We want to be there to comfort them as best we can.”
Owasso Public Schools said the loss of a student is “devastating.”
“We recognize the impact that this event has had on the entire school community and it is our priority to foster an environment where everyone feels heard, supported, and safe,” the school district said in a statement.
Some attendees at the meeting blamed the rhetoric from Walters and his supporters for sparking the aggression Nex experienced.
“These children who attacked Nex had to be taught to hate,” said Mike Howe, a former Tulsa school principal who speaks at state board meetings regularly.
Nex was bullied at school, and it worsened this year after anti-transgender laws took effect in Oklahoma, the student’s mother told the British online newspaper The Independent.
Walters has been a vocal opponent of students using the restroom that matches their gender identity rather than biological sex, changing their gender marker in school records and other policies that are trans-affirming, often referring to these ideas as “transgender ideology.”
He and the state Board of Education approved a rule last year that would require school employees to report to a student’s parents if the child changes pronouns or gender identity, a measure LGBTQ+ advocates said could out students to their families before they are ready to share that information at home.
Walters said his administration will do all it can to ensure student safety and learn from the Owasso incident.
Recent rules and laws have “completely changed” transgender and nonbinary students’ experience at school, said Nicole McAfee, executive director of the LGBTQ+ advocacy group Freedom Oklahoma.
Although the cause of Nex’s death is unclear, the context in which they lived and attended school is apparent, said McAfee, who also is nonbinary and uses they/them pronouns.
“I just think about how increasingly isolated students feel in an environment where they can’t talk openly about gender and sexuality with staff members or even counselors because there’s mandatory outing,” McAfee said, “where they can’t see themselves in stories in their library, where they are policed for their gender in sports and in everyday bathroom use, and where students are parroting the rhetoric that they’re hearing from elected officials in the state.”
They said all policymakers have a responsibility to “make sure that we disrupt this harm going forward.”
That’s why McAfee said it was harmful to hear Tulsa Board of Education member E’Lena Ashley refer to Nex by female pronouns and the birth name they no longer used rather than the pronouns and name that the student’s family said accurately reflect Nex’s nonbinary identity.
Ashley was speaking in public comment at the meeting and offered condolences and prayers to the student’s family. A furious meeting attendee shouted the name “Nex Benedict” in response.
Ashley did not immediately return a request for comment.
McAfee said the state Board of Education should have recognized Nex by name and acknowledged the improper identification.
“To just allow that to stand I think really speaks volumes about the harm that happens regularly, and oftentimes with the enthusiastic support of the folks in power over the day-to-day lives of Oklahoma students,” McAfee said.
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Edmond Public Schools challenges Oklahoma State Department of Education’s attempted book ban |
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Edmond Public Schools is asking the Oklahoma Supreme Court to intervene in an attempt by state officials to ban two books from school library shelves.
Edmond Superintendent Angela Grunewald said the Oklahoma State Department of Education ordered her district to remove “The Kite Runner” by Khaled Hosseini and “The Glass Castle” by Jeannette Walls from high school libraries.
The agency threatened a potential downgrade to Edmond’s accreditation status if it doesn’t comply, Grunewald said.
The agency’s Library Media Review Committee decided both books are “pornographic” and contain “sexualized content,” according to the district’s legal complaint.
The same library review committee made national news last month when Chaya Raichik, who runs the controversial social media account Libs of TikTok, was appointed as a member.
Grunewald said none of Edmond’s school libraries contain pornography, but the books’ material isn’t the central issue of the district’s legal challenge.
“It’s not about the books,” she said in a news conference Tuesday. “It’s about who has the right to decide what books should be in a library and who can say what books should be removed.”
In ordering the removal, the state agency relied on new administrative rules passed last year that prohibit books from containing pornographic or sexualized content, Grunewald said.
The Edmond Board of Education voted Tuesday in favor of asking the Oklahoma Supreme Court to deem the state agency’s administrative rules an unconstitutional overreach of executive authority.
Edmond’s attorney, F. Andrew Fugitt, said he expects the Court to respond within 30 days.
State Superintendent Ryan Walters, who heads the agency, called the district’s legal filing an “ongoing subversion of accountability.”
“Edmond Public Schools not only allows kids to access porn in schools they are doubling down to keep pornography on the bookshelves,” Walters said in a statement. “Parents and kids should have the confidence of going to schools to learn. Instead of focusing on education, EPS has chosen to peddle porn and is leading the charge to undermine parents in Oklahoma.”
The state Education Department received five complaints about the books being part of the curriculum at Edmond high schools, Grunewald said. Parents already have a choice in which books their children read for high school classes, she said.
Although the complaints pertained to school lesson plans, Grunewald said the state’s Library Media Review Committee advised the books be removed from high school libraries, as well.
In a Jan. 19 letter, the state agency gave Edmond administrators 14 days to take the books off library shelves, according to Edmond’s legal filing. If they don’t comply, they will have to appear at Thursday’s state Board of Education meeting and risk an accreditation penalty.
The district has had a policy since 1997 for parents to request a book be reviewed and possibly removed. The decision of whether to keep the book is made at the local school level, Grunewald said.
Both award-winning bestsellers, “The Kite Runner” and “The Glass Castle” include references to child sexual abuse and violence.
“The Kite Runner” highlights the friendship between two boys amid a tumultuous period in Afghanistan. “The Glass Castle” tells the story of the author’s dysfunctional upbringing.
Scrutiny of school library books has heightened under Walters. He called for a content review of 190 books focused on LGBTQ+ perspectives and said some books are too explicit to belong in schools.
Walters’ administration created the new library content rules and brought them to the state Board of Education for a vote, despite the state Legislature not instructing him to do so.
For that reason, Attorney General Gentner Drummond issued an opinion in April stating the rules are invalid and cannot be enforced.
“It is well settled that an agency may only exercise the powers expressly given by statute,” Drummond said. “An agency cannot expand those powers by its own authority.”
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Oklahoma colleges still determining impact of Gov. Kevin Stitt’s diversity, inclusion order |
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The University of Oklahoma will make changes to its campus diversity, equity and inclusion programs as a result of an executive order Gov. Kevin Stitt signed in December.
Students gathered in a nondescript classroom on the University of Oklahoma’s Norman campus last month to talk about how new statewide restrictions on diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives could hamper anti-discrimination efforts.
Amid a wide-ranging discussion about the importance of campus diversity initiatives, students expressed fears that an executive order from Gov. Kevin Stitt could end such programs.
“Without DEI, how are we going to address discrimination?” Amari Williams, director of OU’s Black Emergency Response Team, asked the dozen or so students assembled.
“It’s going to be a nightmare,” responded Shrey Kathuria, a junior who backed a recent OU Undergraduate Student Congress resolution supporting diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives.
OU’s campus has been rocked by high-profile racist incidents in recent years ranging from professors using racial slurs in class, a student wearing blackface and a viral video in which members of a fraternity sang a song that included racial slurs and referenced lynching.
After facing criticism for its handling of those events, OU expanded its diversity and inclusion efforts. But Stitt’s executive order could effectively undo some of that progress, the university announced in December.
The directive from Stitt prohibits state-funded diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives within state agencies and on college campuses “to the extent they grant preferential treatment based on one person’s particular race, color, sex, ethnicity or national origin.”
The impact on college campuses remains unclear, and the order has left some students with more questions than answers.
While talking to reporters Thursday, Stitt stressed that his order focuses on ensuring Oklahoma’s institutions of higher education aren’t using race as a factor in admissions while also addressing campus diversity, equity and inclusion offices.
“That’s taxpayer money that we feel like is wasted and so let’s focus on (hiring) another engineering professor or actually educating students,” Stitt said. “We think that’s a little sidebar that universities don’t need to be participating in.”
The order does not apply to campus programs for veterans, active military members, low-income students, Pell Grant recipients and first-generation college students. Student organizations and programs that are necessary for accreditation will not be affected.
Gov. Kevin Stitt is pictured Feb. 5 during his State of the State address.
More:Why Oklahoma City Realtors are doubling down on DEI initiatives even as critics decry them
OU, OSU respond differently to Stitt’s order
When Dala Korkoyah III first arrived on OU’s campus, he lacked some of the basic items students brought to make their dorm rooms feel like home.
As an international student from Liberia, the sophomore could only pack so much.
But he said he was delighted to discover OU provides international students free bedding and other basic necessities through an initiative sponsored by the campus diversity and inclusion office.
At the Black Student Emergency Response Team event on campus, Korkoyah said talking about the benefits of diversity and inclusion initiatives is key to helping everyone understand why they’re necessary.
“I think DEI programs right now are being portrayed as something that is sort of an indoctrination process or it’s giving certain groups of people preference over another,” he said. “I think through these conversations, people who may not actually understand why it is necessary to have these programs can hear testimonials from individuals who have benefited from these programs.”
After the state’s two largest universities had dramatically different responses to Stitt’s order, smaller public institutions say they are still reviewing their diversity programs to determine what, if any, changes may be necessary.
Oklahoma State University President Kayse Shrum in December sent a campus-wide email that said an initial review of the directive indicated “no significant changes” to campus practices would be necessary. An OSU spokesperson did not answer follow-up questions about Shrum’s statement and the impact of Stitt’s order.
OU President Joseph Harroz in December said Stitt’s order would effectively end campus diversity, equity and inclusion offices.
OU’s press office didn’t answer a series of questions about how Stitt’s order could affect the campus and what’s next for the university’s diversity offices. Harroz told students in January no OU employees would lose their jobs as a result, according to the OU Daily, a student news organization.
Asked about how many academic programs require a diversity, equity or inclusion component as a condition of accreditation, an OU spokesperson said an analysis of existing programs and data is underway.
Stitt’s executive order asks public colleges and universities to review their diversity and inclusion programs and submit by May 31 reports detailing any campus initiatives that were restricted or eliminated.
“We’ve had conversations with both of the major universities, and they say they’re complying and they’re working through it,” Stitt said.
‘Attacking people of color’
National Association of Diversity Officers in Higher Education President Paulette Granberry Russell said there’s likely some confusion and questions surrounding Stitt’s order, specifically the part that prohibits state-funded programs that give “preferential treatment” based on race or other inherent qualities.
Some people associate the idea of “preferential treatment” with affirmative action, she said.
But that idea wrongly suggests that by helping marginalized student populations, colleges and universities are discriminating against white students, she said.
“Institutions cannot discriminate under federal law and state law,” she said. “I think it is important for them to say and be very clear, ‘That is not what we do.’ Characterizing the work as a form of discrimination and preferential treatment is misrepresenting the efforts.”
Williams, an OU junior and director of the Black Emergency Response Team, said she’s confused why Stitt would take aim at campus programs that are intended to help students by fostering an inclusive environment, especially when those programs amount to less than 1% of higher education spending.
Amari Williams is the director of OU’s Black Emergency Response Team.
Diversity, equity and inclusion programs help marginalized groups, including Black students, women, international students and those who identify as LGBTQ+ on a predominantly white campus, she said.
“When we’re talking about DEI programs, it’s not a leg up for us,” she said. “It’s bringing us level to people who don’t have to face the same marginalization that we do.”
OU’s Division of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion reported last year that some of its programs include faculty and staff workshops aimed at fostering an inclusive campus environment, celebrations for cultural heritage months, tributes to veterans, events for Indigenous students, online training on mitigating bias, mentoring events to help women in the workplace and a conference for historically underrepresented students.
Diversity and inclusion initiatives help students from underrepresented groups get acclimated on campus in addition to helping them find resources, jobs and a community to help them navigate college, Williams said.
“Attacking DEI programs is attacking people of color in a way that will undermine our success,” she said.
The American Civil Liberties Union of Oklahoma has said OU misinterpreted Stitt’s executive order and does not need to eliminate its diversity and inclusion offices. The order requires a review of such programs and only “if deemed necessary” will initiatives be restructured or eliminated, the group said in December.
The ACLU stands by its assessment, said Director Tamya Cox-Touré.
“I think that we still feel very strongly that OU did not have to go as far as it did,” she said. “The conversations we’re having with higher ed is that they’re doing what was asked in that executive order, which was to do the review and see how much was going toward that, but thankfully, no one has taken that big leap like OU did.”
Other Oklahoma universities reviewing programs
Other Oklahoma colleges and universities say they are in the process of reviewing their programs.
The University of Central Oklahoma, located in Edmond, has a group of campus leaders working to identify relevant programs, practices and positions to determine if any could be affected by the executive order, said spokesperson Adrienne Nobles.
Southeastern Oklahoma State University, located in Durant, also is “actively and thoroughly” evaluating its programs and operations to ensure compliance, said spokesperson Josh Manck.
Cameron University, located in Lawton, currently has no employees assigned specifically to diversity and equity positions, and the university is reviewing the May reporting requirements, said spokesperson Keith Mitchell. No programs have been suspended or modified, he said in January.
“University-funded activities are open to every student, regardless of race or ethnicity,” Mitchell added.
Langston University, a historically Black college, is committed to serving its students while also meeting the legal obligations of the executive order, said spokesperson Ellie Melero.
“Although Langston University does not have a formal DEI office, there are many services such as ADA and Title IX intended to foster an inclusive environment,” she said.
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OkACTE tracks and monitors legislative bills. These bills can vary from CareerTech education policy, common education policy, education funding, teacher pay raise, tax credits, licensing, Ad Valorem, retirement, state employee pay raise, guns, economic development and much more.
Of these bills, we've compiled a listing of CTE Priority Measures linked below.
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