Election Day In Oklahoma
Voters in 24 Oklahoma counties will head to the polls Tuesday for elections, largely focused on school and municipal bonds.
Broken Arrow voters will consider a $52 million school bond package. The majority will go toward new technology and facility maintenance. School officials say property owners won’t see a property tax increase if the measure passes.
A 15-year, one-cent sales tax increase will go before residents of Skiatook. If passed, the city will construct two new police and fire stations. Officials say existing headquarters are inundated with problems, including mold, sewage pipe backups and falling light fixtures.
Moore residents will consider a $49.3 million general obligation bond – commonly called a GO bond – to fund basic street and bridge improvements and repairs.
Polls are open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Proposed Rule ‘Detrimental’ To State’s All-Virtual Alternative Education School
The State Board of Education is considering proposed rules that would require in-person attendance for alternative education schools.
That would impact the state’s only all-virtual alternative education school.
Insight School of Oklahoma serves about 1,100 students across the state through a virtual platform.
But if a new administrative rule is approved, that may not be the case for much longer.
That’s because the rule would require its students to show up in-person for class for at least 4 hours everyday.
Jennifer Wilkinson is Insight’s Head of School, and says the flexibility of the all-virtual school is especially important for alternative education students, many of whom have circumstances like jobs or parenting that interfere with physically coming to school.
“It would take away a flexibility that a number of our students, in our school do count on to be able to fulfill their obligations in their community, their work and with their families, as well as continuing to work towards their high school diploma,” Wilkinson said.
Public comments on the new rule can be emailed to the state department, and a public hearing will be held Wednesday afternoon at the Oliver Hodge building in Oklahoma City.
Lawton Civil Rights Lawsuit
The mother of a mentally ill man who died in a Lawton correctional facility is filing a civil rights lawsuit.
Thirty-one year old Justin Barrientos died at the Lawton Correctional and Rehabilitation Facility on Jan. 31 after swallowing a plastic spork and suffering an abdominal perforation. Now, his mother, Linda Gray, is suing the GEO Group, which operates the prison.
The lawsuit alleges the corrections and medical staff were aware of the severity of Barrientos’ condition but did not transfer him to a hospital. Instead, they put him in a suicide watch cell where he later died. The lawsuit also alleges the GEO staff was not equipped to care for people with severe mental illnesses. Barrientos had schizoaffective disorder and PTSD.
Additionally, the lawsuit alleges GEO staff falsified records to make it appear Barrientos had been continuously monitored while in the suicide watch cell.
Norman Community Thanksgiving Dinner
Food and Shelter will host its annual community Thanksgiving dinner again this year.
Food and Shelter is in need of at least 100 turkeys to feed the Norman community. This year, the expected attendance is at least 1,200 people, according to Food and Shelter director April Doshier.
Food and Shelter is an outreach organization aimed at helping those in need of food and housing. It’s traditional Thanksgiving meal started about 40 years ago and has grown every year since.
"It’s a really festive environment where people who don’t know each other when they get there leave as friends. We would just love for anybody who needs a meal this Thanksgiving to come and join us," Doshier said.
This year’s community meal will be held on Thanksgiving Day from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Norman High School. All community members are invited to the event.
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