Oklahoma Supreme Court Rejects Bid To Disqualify Oklahoma Corporation Commissioner
Oklahoma Corporation Commissioner Todd Hiett will be allowed to vote on three rate hike cases despite allegations of sexual misconduct that could cause conflicts of interest.
The state Supreme Court issued a unanimous decision.
The court said it does have the authority to remove commissioners when appropriate, but this time it’s not.
Three state lawmakers brought the suit against Commissioner Todd Hiett after allegations of multiple instances where he was sexually inappropriate at professional events.
The suit asked the Supreme Court to disqualify Hiett from at least three cases involving utilities with ties to victims or witnesses of the alleged inappropriate behavior. They involve Oklahoma Natural Gas, OG+E and Public Service Company of Oklahoma.
In the court’s decision, justices said they would only remove a commissioner in cases with no other options. This case could be considered by the Ethics Commission.
The House of Representatives could also begin impeachment proceedings, although the lawmakers who filed the suit said there isn’t enough evidence for that.
Parent-Child Assistance Program Shuts Down In Oklahoma
A program focused on helping women struggling with substance use during pregnancy has shut down.
The Parent-Child Assistance Program, or PCAP, was brought to Oklahoma in 2021 when OU sociology professor Dr. Erin Maher began what was meant to be a five-year study to examine the program’s efficacy.
PCAP was developed at the University of Washington in 1991 to both help women struggling with substance use during pregnancy and decrease the rates of prenatal exposure to drugs and alcohol.
In Washington, the program yielded outcomes such as increased rates of employment and education, decreased use of public assistance, and prevention of future substance-exposed newborns.
The webpage for the OU program now states the sites in both Oklahoma City and Tulsa have closed down due to “unexpected funding challenges.”
Broken Arrow School District Considers Switch To Four-Day School Week
The Broken Arrow School Board is considering a proposal to switch from five days of school a week to four.
The discussion brought to the board by district administrators.
The move would make Broken Arrow the largest district in the state with a four-day week.
The calendar is popular in rural districts. It’s touted as a teacher recruitment and retention tool as Oklahoma struggles with an educator shortage.
But logistical challenges in such a large district are intimidating.
What would happen to the thousands of kids needing daycare on the fifth day they’d normally be in school? How would the move impact academic outcomes?
Broken Arrow’s school board president, Steve Allen, is leaning toward pumping the brakes.
“I think we have to continue to work, look for answers to the challenges instead of forcing this down the community's throat and saying, 'We're doing this by God, let's go’,” Allen said.
The school board must decide by February if the next school year will feature a four-day week.
OCCC To Offer Associate Degree In Behavioral Health Sciences
Oklahoma City Community College is adding a new associate degree.
Next semester, students at OCCC will be able to get an associate degree in Applied Science in Behavioral Health Sciences. The program is the first of its kind in the state
The degree prepares students for jobs at behavioral health agencies, community organizations, hospitals, rehabilitation centers and more.
Jennifer Allen is a professor at OCCC and chair of the psychology department. She helped design the new degree program.
“I think we'll really put our students in a position to fill those roles, without those agencies having to do a lot of additional training,” Allen said.
Allen said she hopes the degree will expand the behavioral health workforce in Oklahoma.
She said there are plenty of jobs in the field that don’t need years and years of college.
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