State Board Approves New Charter School Site in Blanchard
Blanchard is getting a new charter school. The Statewide Charter School Board voted unanimously to allow The Academies of Oklahoma to expand to its third site next fall.
The Academies of Oklahoma was formerly The Academy of Seminole before the board authorized its name change, also at Monday’s meeting. It currently operates two charter schools, one in Seminole and one in Okmulgee that opened this school year at full capacity.
Wren Hawthorne is The Academies’ superintendent. He says the school prioritizes reaching rural areas where there are fewer options for education.
"By expanding into rural Oklahoma, we’re helping to bring opportunities for these students where they haven’t had a choice before," said Hawthorne.
The Academy of Blanchard will start with pre-k through eighth grade.
Beginning in 2026, the school will add one grade per year until twelfth grade. Classes will be capped at 24 students.
Jail Trust Votes To Keep Health Care Provider
The Oklahoma County Criminal Justice Authority voted Monday to keep Turn Key as the jail’s health care provider, despite some blaming the company for the problems at the jail.
Advocates across Oklahoma accuse Turn Key of negligence and urged the jail to find a new provider after the contract expired and went month-to-month in June.
Jail CEO Brandi Garner said the jail needed to re-sign the contract in order to avoid losing medical care.
“We have received notice from Turn Key that they will terminate services this week if we do not take some action," said Garner. "We have a 30-day out and a 90-day out that allows us to have time to look at other options and seek competitive bids."
The trust will hire an independent medical consultant within the next 30 days.
Osage Nation Ranch Placed in U.S. Trust
The Osage Nation Ranch is now in the United States' trust.
The nation’s fee-to-trust application was recently approved and it’s the largest fee-to-trust acquisition in Oklahoma history as well as the second-largest in U.S. history.
The ranch is more than 41,000 acres. The application was submitted in 2016 and the Bureau of Indian Affairs approved it in late August.
Putting the land into trust transfers the land title from a federally-recognized Tribe to the U.S. in trust for the benefit of that tribal nation.
Principal Chief of the Osage Nation, Geoffrey Standing Bear, says the land is the home of hundreds of bison, cattle, is a great fishing spot and a place for Osage cultural practices.
“Also, there's pride in knowing that if you're Osage, no matter where you live, you drive through that 1000s of acres. You own that ranch," said Standing Bear.
Putting land into trust is one of Standing Bear’s top priorities.
This recent acquisition will not change the land use, and he says the nation has other applications processing.
New Safety Protocols At The State Fair
The Oklahoma State Fair begins Thursday, with new safety protocols.
The fair added equipment and personnel for increased screening at gates and law enforcement from multiple agencies will provide daily patrols.
OKC Police plan to use new high-tech surveillance equipment around the fairgrounds.
The fair also has a new unaccompanied minor policy.
Anyone under 18 must be accompanied by an adult 25 years or older after 5:00 each evening.
Last year, a juvenile shot a man inside the Bennett Event Center in what police call an isolated incident.
________________
For additional news throughout the day visit our website, KGOU.org and follow us on social media.
We also invite you to subscribe to the KGOU PM NewsBrief.