The bill only applies to schools that have received from the state Education Department a D or an F for the last two years or a D or an F for two of the last three years, provided the most recent grade was a D or an F. In those schools — where everything else […]
op-ed
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Counterpoint: Don’t pull that trigger
Sen. David Holt, who sponsored such legislation for Oklahoma, said he was partly inspired by Won’t Back Down. But whatever the film’s merits as entertainment, its rosy portrait of parent triggers mask major problems with the idea. Under his proposal, if a school is given a D or an F on the state’s A-F rating […]
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Correction needed for correctional officers
If you answered yes to all of these application questions, you may qualify to become a correctional officer for the state of Oklahoma. For your valuable service, the state will pay you $11.83 an hour to start, less than most of your local convenience store clerks and less than any other state corrections officer in […]
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Whole lotta crazy going on
How about this simple analogy: Republicans, with super majorities in the House and Senate, are like children who suddenly find themselves in a free candy store. They’re gorging. “Will it eventually make them sick?” ask hopeful progressives. Democrats call it a whole lot of crazy going on. “Excuse us,” argue Republicans. “Aren’t we simply fulfilling […]
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Put down the smartphone and drive
It seems everyone has a story of a near-crash or of a texting driver who nearly ran him or her off the road or of somebody who knows somebody who was in a wreck caused by a driver on the phone. And if you don’t know have such a story, it’s only a matter of […]
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Counterpoint: Don’t punish workers
Bob Burke I’m not against change, but the reforms suggested by the state Senate in Senate Bill 1062 are a direct assault upon Oklahoma’s working men and women. The legislation seeks to lower the costs of workers’ compensation rates in the state by drastically cutting benefits to workers. There is no reduction in medical costs, […]
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Improving mental health in Oklahoma
A report on mental health care by the National Alliance on Mental Illness, or NAMI, gave the state a grade of B, citing innovations such as mental health and drug courts, collaboration with the state Departments of Corrections and Health and peer recovery support specialist certification. Oklahoma is making progress. Much more needs to be […]
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The truth of emergency contraception
New rules under the Affordable Care Act, better known as Obamacare, require contraception coverage without cost to women as part of basic health care coverage. Despite overwhelming evidence that the ability to plan and space pregnancies critically impacts a woman’s health and the health of her children, many employers, most notably the Oklahoma City-based Hobby […]
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Be cautious with a dopey idea
California’s experience is instructive. With the passage of Proposition 215 in 1996, that state authorized patients with doctor-issued identification cards to grow or possess specific amounts of marijuana for medical use. Sadly, that system has been widely abused. Storefront pot dispensaries with names like OMG Collective or Happy Meds resemble hippie crash pads more than […]
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Who our schoolchildren need
Since most of us in Oklahoma City are no doubt disgusted with the generally dismal performance of our school district, our inclination may be to conclude that our votes make little difference. Hopefully, however, they might make a difference for thousands of young people grossly underserved with the education provided to them by the district. […]