The Oklahoma State Board of Education this week approved a number of rule changes proposed by State Schools Superintendent Ryan Walters.
Changes approved by the board at Thursday's monthly meeting include linking school accreditation to academic performance, establishing a new conduct policy for teachers and banning diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs in state schools. was included.
Other regulations passed by the board include requiring a minute of silence in Oklahoma schools to allow for spontaneous prayer each school day, and a long-standing leadership training policy for local schools. This included changes in policy. Walters said they “pushed anti-parent, woke policies.”
The board also approved new information literacy standards and financial literacy standards for Oklahoma schools.
The rules and standards, all approved by the board on a 4-0 vote Thursday, will now go to the state Legislature for approval, then to Gov. Kevin Stitt, who also approves them before making them permanent. There is a need. Here's what we know about the major rule changes:
School accreditation will be tied to academic performance
Each year, the State Board of Education determines the accreditation status of all schools in Oklahoma and ensures that they meet the state's minimum standards.
The accreditation changes would result in the addition of an entire section to the Oklahoma Administrative Law Regulations governing the Oklahoma State Department of Education. Under the new rules, school districts will be considered academically deficient if less than 50% of their students, based on data from the current school year, test at or above the basic performance level on state math or English assessments. art. Her 8th grade and her 11th grade assessments from 3rd grade will be combined.
The new level of recognition, called “Certification of Excellence,” will be added to school districts that have applied for and received a clean audit of excellence in the previous year with the highest level of recommendation. The change would also subject districts to “health and safety deficiencies” for continuing to employ uncertified employees who have been convicted of felonies or who have no contest.
Walters said setting standards will “ensure that every student in Oklahoma has access to a high-quality education, and that we can provide the support that districts need more of.” Ta.
But since Walters announced his proposal in November, critics have argued that the new rules would negatively impact urban areas, school districts with high-poverty students, and school districts with large numbers of special education students. Is receiving. Mr. Walters rejected that criticism.
A document prepared by state Department of Education officials as part of a submission to the Board of Education said, “The Department also implicitly argues that poverty prevents schools from teaching basic reading and math. He also refuses.” Teaching mathematics to at least half of the students is not an unreasonable standard. ”
Ryan Walters follows Gov. Kevin Stitt's lead on DEI program
Walters announced his proposal in December after Gov. Kevin Stitt issued an executive order on DEI programs. This prohibits public school districts from using funds, assets, or resources to grant or support his DEI positions or departments, and specifically prohibits him from mandating DEI education or training.
Stitt and Walters seem to be going against the cultural tide, as most major companies and many organizations have some kind of DEI policy in place. But for Walters, opposing DEI training is important, and he told the board Thursday that he is bound by Stitt's executive order on this matter.
“I applaud the governor's (executive order),” Walters said. “I think he did a great job. I talked about DEI being so disruptive in our schools and institutions.”
New rules proposed regarding principal who is also a drag performer
Another new rule states that teachers in Oklahoma “can be fired if they are found to have engaged in sexual activity or sexual activity in the presence of a minor or in a manner available to a minor online.” , they may be refused employment or may not be rehired.” Applies to contemporary community standards; appeals to the public's perceived sexual interest in sex, or promotes excessive sexual orientation, taking into account the educational value of the material and the minimum age of students who may have access to the material; the act of doing. ”
Walters announced the rule after months of battle with Oklahoma City's Western Heights Public Schools, which hired an elementary school principal who performed as a drag queen in his private time. The district accepted the principal's resignation earlier this month, but the principal maintained that his resignation was coerced.
The state Department of Education said standards for teachers should only be those listed in state law, not agency rules, and dismissed critics who say the rules' language is ambiguous.
Voluntary prayer and silence is already the law in Oklahoma, but the board is still approving new rules.
Schools in Oklahoma are already required by law to hold a daily moment of silence, during which students are allowed to voluntarily participate in prayer. Still, a state commission is proposing rules that would require Oklahoma's more than 500 school districts to “adopt policies that allow students and teachers to voluntarily participate in prayer if they choose.” If found not in compliance, the district's accreditation would be threatened.
Mr Walters wanted to introduce the rules after a brawl over a Prague public school that was hosting daily prayers in primary schools as part of its “Rise and Shine” programme. The Religious Freedom Foundation sent a letter to the district calling the practice unconstitutional and asking it to end the practice. Walters' anger grew because the district did that.
“The protection of religious freedom is a cornerstone of our nation,” Walters said.
Walters remains at odds with a nonprofit that provides training to local school boards.
For decades, the Oklahoma State School Boards Association (OSSBA), a nonprofit public school advocacy and service organization, has provided training required by state law to local school board members. That training is then accepted by the state Department of Education.
The School Board Association is governed by a 32-member Board of Directors made up of local school board members elected by the taxpayers of their respective districts. Without warning, Walters announced in January that the state Department of Education was ending its agreement with the association. The new rules require the Oklahoma School Boards Association to go through a typical vendor process to provide its services, and there is no guarantee that the training it provides will be accepted by the state Department of Education.
Without providing any examples, Walters said the association “works with national extremist groups that seek to undermine parents, impose failed policies on schools, and oppose quality education in Oklahoma.” He said that it is one of the institutions that is active in the field.
State board member Zachary Archer said at Thursday's meeting that he found the association's training helpful during his time on the Hammon Public Schools board, but he still voted in favor of approving the rule change. Ta.
A spokesperson for the association could not be reached for comment Friday.
New information literacy and financial literacy standards also approved
In addition to the rule changes, the board approved new standards for Oklahoma schools regarding information literacy and financial literacy.
“Information literacy” is the traditional term for standards taught by certified school librarians. Information literacy standards are also known as media literacy or digital literacy. This standard reflects skills on how to access, evaluate, create and share information ethically.
For decades, the state Department of Education has collaborated on information literacy standards with the Oklahoma Library Association, part of the American Library Association. But Walters called existing standards “woke” in December and said they amounted to “woke, taxpayer-funded brainwashing of children.” He gave no example, saying the association is fighting “filtering of internet pornography in libraries” and attacking “parents who just want libraries to protect their children and reflect their communities.” Criticized that there is.
The new standards were developed using the Ohio Department of Education's Ohio Library Guidelines for Learners and the 2021 Oklahoma Academic Standards for English Language Arts.
Dana Belcher, president of the Oklahoma Library Association, said the state Department of Education has not consulted with the association about the new standards.
“I believe each member sent in comments (on the proposal), but the association was not contacted,” Belcher said.
