State Board Approves New Charter School Site in Blanchard
Blanchard is getting a new charter school.
The Statewide Charter School Board voted unanimously Monday 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 said 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," Hawthorne said.
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.
How Proposed Rules On Gender, Race Impact Colleges And Universities
State Regents for Higher Education have proposed new rules on the gender and race law.
New proposed rules will prevent colleges and universities from requiring students to take gender or sexual training.
Oklahoma Higher Education officials posted the rules in response to House Bill 1775, which became law in 2021 and forbids the teaching of certain gender and race ideas.
But these rules would be requirements of the institution itself and not influence the contents of classroom instruction.
Training is allowed for sexual harassment or assault prevention, and for eligibility of federal grants.
There will be a public comment period, and Gov. Kevin Stitt and the Oklahoma Legislature have to review the rules before going into effect.
Workforce Report Found Most Oklahoma College Graduates Are Staying In State
A recent report shows most Oklahoma college graduates are choosing to stay and work in the state after graduation.
Most graduates from public universities choose to stay and work in Oklahoma, with 75 percent remaining in the state five years after graduation.
The 2023 report from Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education emphasizes the increase in retention rates for graduates in critical occupations, such as nursing, teaching, engineering and STEM.
Non-profit news outlet Oklahoma Voice reports that is at least a 10 percent increase in resident retention from 2018, with lower rates for nonresident retention.
The report also highlights graduates participating in Oklahoma’s Promise, a scholarship program.
The participants have an especially high retention and employment rate.
Wellness Program Offered For Physicians Who Experience Burnout
A wellness program in Oklahoma is supporting physicians with up to eight free and confidential counseling sessions.
In 2023, 48.2% of physicians surveyed by the American Medical Association reported experiencing at least one symptom of burnout, which is down from 53% in 2022.
But Oklahoma State Medical Association (OSMA) President Dr. Edgar Boyd said although COVID-19 is less of a threat, physicians are still dealing with stressors like insurance companies and prior authorization — where health insurers decide if a service is medically necessary and if they will cover it.
“Physicians, we just want to take care of our patients. We don't want to have a very busy clinic and then spend 45 minutes on the telephone trying to get a routine prescription approved just because that is our policy,” Boyd said.
Enter the Physician Wellness Program. It started through OSMA in 2020 and offers one-hour counseling sessions to all M.D. and D.O. physicians in Oklahoma.
“We just want to take care of our doctors so they can continue to function. We lose more and more doctors every year to retirement. Some of that is just natural attrition, but other is just burnout — people not wanting to just put up with all of the stressors anymore,” Boyd said. “Physicians, in general, don't do very good with coping with stress.”
Boyd said health care professionals’ mental health is often overlooked and stigmatized. He recalled when Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin suffered cardiac arrest during a game.
“Everybody was talking about how traumatized they were from watching that. And, people don’t realize that emergency room physicians, ICU doctors, they may go through that four or five times a day. And even though they're traumatized, they go into the next room and just keep on working,” Boyd said. “That's extremely stressful.”
Boyd said something as simple as talking with someone can help combat burnout.
“Sometimes that's all it takes,” Boyd said.
Physicians can connect with licensed professionals by heading to OSMA's website.
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