State Lawmaker Calling Again For Transparency From State Education Department
An Oklahoma lawmaker is speaking out against what he says is a total lack of transparency from the State Department of Education.
Republican Representative Mark McBride of Moore claims numerous requests for information from legislators have been ignored.
In response to his third inquiry about alleged teacher recruitment numbers and emails sent to Walters’ Every Kid Counts email, Walters’ Senior Advisor, Matt Langston, said “Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me.”
Every Kid Counts is the nonprofit Walters was the executive director of until February and is funded largely by national school privatization efforts.
It’s also the target of an ongoing FBI investigation for misspending nearly $2 million in pandemic-era federal education funding.
McBride says the department’s lack of cooperation indicates it’s either lying about where money is going, or it is hiding something.
Langston responded, saying he’s never seen a “more whiny Democrat” in his life and accused McBride, who is in fact a Republican, of backing woke indoctrination, promoting porn in schools and making union leaders and liberal extremists proud.
Top Education Official Calls For Nationwide Search For Tulsa Schools’ Superintendent
State Superintendent Ryan Walters is demanding a nationwide search for Tulsa Public Schools' superintendent despite the wishes of local elected leaders.
In a letter posted to social media, Walters said the district should search for a candidate who will “make bold steps” to ensure the district’s success.
Walters threatened to lower or remove the district’s accreditation over the summer and has given the district additional demands as its leaders present academic improvement plans to the state board on a monthly basis.
Tulsa Mayor G.T. Bynum and school board president Stacey Woolley have both said they want interim superintendent Dr. Ebony Johnson as TPS’ official leader.
In response to Walters’ letter, Woolley emphasized local control of the district.
“The people in this city voted for the people who are on the school board to do the job that we were elected to do, and we are in a time of extreme challenge and believe that it’s appropriate to move forward in a way that best serves Tulsa Public Schools students,” Woolley said.
Despite Johnson’s plan to use proven methods to increase reading scores in the district, Walters’ letter says TPS should “stop playing around the edges with programs that do not work.”
When asked what he meant by this, a spokesperson for Walters said the letter speaks for itself.
Oklahoma Among The Highest States With Long COVID Symptoms
Oklahoma has one of the highest rates of adults who have experienced long COVID symptoms, according to U.S. Census Bureau data.
Long COVID refers to when someone has continued or developed symptoms three months after they had COVID-19.
In Oklahoma, about 34% of nearly 540,000 respondents said they have experienced symptoms lasting longer than three months.
Christian Worstall is a senior copywriter with health information company HealthAdvisor. He analyzed the Census Bureau data released last month and says multiple factors may contribute to these statistics.
“Those who are unvaccinated, it looks like, might be a little bit more vulnerable to long COVID. … And people who had an underlying condition," Worstall said.
Symptoms of long COVID include things like fatigue, brain fog, chest pain and heart palpitations.
Some Christmas Trees Have More Than Needles On Branches
Fresh-cut Christmas trees often house insects.
The bugs might be hard to see, but when they move into a warm spot - like your living room - they become active.
Oklahoma State University Extension specialists say insects like praying mantises found in the trees are harmless and can be vacuumed up if unknowingly brought inside.
But it's important to protect some insects because they eat invasive species. So if an egg sac is found on a branch, specialists suggest cutting it off and bringing it outside.
To avoid pests after cutting a tree at a farm, put your tree on a shaker for 30 seconds to remove loose needles and most bugs.
If you don’t have access to a shaker, like at many Christmas tree farms, tap the tree trunk on the ground, use a leaf blower or compressed air to get rid of insects before putting your tree on display.
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