New Rules for Oklahoma Schools
Four years of math. No foreign language. No chaplains.
Nuria Martinez-Keel summarized how this year’s legislative session will affect Oklahoma students for Oklahoma Voice:
A new law adds a mandatory fourth high school math credit, starting with the graduating class of 2030. House Bill 3278 passed despite criticism that world languages are no longer required.
Senate Bill 36 did not get a final Senate hearing. The bill would have allowed public schools to use chaplains to counsel students.
Legislation that would prohibit corporal punishment of students with disabilities failed again. House Bill 1028 never got a hearing on the Senate floor last year; this year, the Senate’s amended version didn’t get a hearing in the House.
Financial literacy will be on the schedule for high school students and will include instruction in retirement accounts, credit scores and mortgage loans under House Bill 2158. Students will now study financial literacy in grade 10, 11 or 12. It was required between 7th and 12th grade.
More worth reading:
Homelessness on the Rise
The number of people experiencing homelessness in Oklahoma City has grown by 28% this year in comparison to last year, according to the annual Point in Time survey. Tulsa’s count increased by nearly 26%, according to data on the Housing Solutions website. [The Oklahoman] [Housing Solutions]
David Lloyd Talks About Haiti
The father of a Claremore man murdered in Haiti last week says his son’s story is too common. [KWGS]
Investigation Reveals Indian Boarding School Abuses
For decades, Catholic priests, brothers and sisters raped or molested Native American children who were taken from their homes by the U.S. government and forced to live at remote boarding schools, a Washington Post investigation found.. [WAPO]
On this date in 1998, Terry Nichols was sentenced to life in prison for his role in the Murrah Building bombing.
Ciao for now,
Ted Streuli
Executive Director, Oklahoma Watch
tstreuli@oklahomawatch.org
