I鈥檝e seen firsthand how overwhelmed and disconnected today鈥檚 youth are becoming, losing faith in themselves and one another. Students also get judged from the outside quite often 鈥� on test scores, on behavior, on penmanship. But when they craft their own art, they begin to find their voice and a unique point of view that can be expressed with and beyond words. Once they find that voice 鈥� the one they didn鈥檛 know they had 鈥� my students want to use it for something that matters.

One of the biggest obstacles to civic engagement for students is that most are never asked to serve their community, despite having so much to give. They just need to be invited in. 

That鈥檚 why, for nine years, I have found ways to integrate student creativity with civic work through projects that accommodate young people’s differing abilities and interests. There are plenty of programs that create pathways for educators like me to engage young people in service learning; for example, my class has found many creative opportunities through programs like and .

When I tell my students at John Marshall Enterprise High School that the art they鈥檙e creating is going to a stranger 鈥� that it鈥檚 going to help someone they鈥檒l never meet 鈥� it is hard for them to comprehend how such a small act can truly make a difference in someone鈥檚 life.

In my Family & Consumer Sciences classes, for example, my students apply lessons from their science, social studies and math classes in creative service projects. One of our favorites this year was making neck-cooler ties for . These fabric ties provide a cooling effect when worn around the neck and were donated to servicemen and women stationed in desert regions of the world, where heat is dangerous and relief is limited.

We explored the different properties of fabrics and how they might be used in various applications and regions of the world: natural fibers such as cotton are breathable and better for people with allergies, and won鈥檛 melt to skin like polyester or polycotton will in case of fire. We calculated the dimensions of each tie: 5 inches wide, 11 inches long, a quarter-inch for the seam. We learned how hydroponic beads, which are sewn into the ties, work: The absorbent nature of hydrogel expands the beads when soaked in water, which helps keep the fabric cool for hours.

We then sewed the ties ourselves and shipped them out. Even students who might not get an A in math learned about its applications through something tangible, something they could feel. This project wasn鈥檛 just art; it was science, it was math, it was compassion.

Through art, my students connect with the world and make sense of hard things. Many of them have faced trauma, and some are still living through it. I can see the healing taking place when students are looking down at their art and working with great focus. Their faces show the engagement of their heart.  

For Mental Health Awareness Month, we joined the , which uses flowers to help break the stigma around mental health. Students made 鈥渢ulip garden鈥� art in the classroom and planted bulbs in the gardens outside. Even these small acts help students to feel connected and capable of creating change. Art is a vehicle for driving away loneliness and embracing hope and gratitude.聽

More than ever, students need to feel like they belong to their schools, their communities and the world around them. They need to know that their voices, ideas and kindness can make a difference. I see that happen when my class writes letters to veterans and creates encouragement cards for refugees, people experiencing food insecurity at food banks, seniors in isolation, children who are ill and young students just starting school. These letters and cards are delivered across our city, the country and even make their way around the world. Such simple acts of creativity invite kids and offer them a way to feel seen, connected and involved. 

Arts education belongs at the heart of how schools teach students civic engagement, especially for those who don鈥檛 always feel invited to the table 鈥� those who鈥檝e been overlooked or left out. Creativity provides a way in, allowing students to see that they matter and can make an impact. When they create something meaningful and send it into the world, something shifts. They begin to see themselves differently. They start to see themselves as part of the solution.

In my classroom, students see that art isn鈥檛 just about making something look pretty; it鈥檚 about creating something that matters. Whether it鈥檚 painting rocks with kind messages for veterans, decorating socks for Los Angeles students impacted by wildfires or creating origami and love links 鈥� colorful paper chains filled with encouraging words 鈥� for young children, these small acts of creativity help students believe they have something to give. And the truth is, they all do. They don鈥檛 have to be at the top of their class or in student government to make an impact. They just have to be willing to try.

The student population has not only , but the district saw an unprecedented influx of English learners. 

鈥淚t’s a huge testament to the work being done in Tulsa,鈥� he said at a state board meeting. 鈥淚 think that you’re seeing parents that have confidence in what’s being done there.鈥�

But now he wants parents in Tulsa and other districts throughout the state to share their citizenship status when they enroll their children 鈥� a proposal that not only violates but is likely to keep some parents from sending their children to school. 

Districts say they don鈥檛 know how many undocumented students they have, but In Tulsa, the population of English learners grew from 10,168 in 2023 to 11,149 last year. 

President-elect Donald Trump鈥檚 are celebrating Walters鈥� effort to end 鈥渟anctuary schools,鈥� but district leaders say the plan is traumatizing vulnerable families.

鈥淚t’s hurtful, and it’s going to create fear,鈥� said Nick Migliorino, superintendent of the Norman Public Schools, south of Oklahoma City. 鈥淣ot educating kids because of the status of their parents helps nobody.鈥� 

The Oklahoma State Department of Education says the is needed to determine how many tutors and teachers districts need for English learners. But it comes as many national Republicans are eager to challenge a longstanding Supreme Court ruling, , which  guarantees undocumented students an education in the U.S. 

鈥淚t’s reasonable to presume that this is an attack on Plyler,鈥� said Julie Sugarman, associate director of the National Center on Immigrant Integration at the Migration Policy Institute. 鈥淚f the Supreme Court was to say, 鈥榃ell, we changed our mind 鈥� you actually can ask about immigration status,鈥� that would really put all of Plyler into question.鈥� 

The public has until Jan. 17 to submit comments on the rule. The state Board of Education will hold a public hearing the same day. 

The plan follows an election in which President-elect Donald Trump referred to the U.S. as a for undocumented immigrants. He has called for on Immigration and Customs Enforcement raids at schools on the day he takes office and said he would 鈥� even if their children were born in the U.S.

Walters foreshadowed the new rule in July when he asked districts to account for the 鈥渃ost and burden鈥� of illegal immigration. And on Tuesday, U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas and ICE Deputy Director Peter Flores for $474 million, saying their 鈥渇ailed border policies鈥� have placed 鈥渟evere financial and operational strain鈥� on Oklahoma鈥檚 schools. He a bill for the same figure in October. 

The state, which has an under 16, will need an additional 1,065 teachers for English learners over the next five years, he wrote in his letter to Harris. He offered no specifics on where he got that figure. 

鈥淲e cannot effectively budget or allocate critical resources when we have no accounting of the cost that illegal immigration places on our schools,鈥� the letter said.

shows that the percentage of English learners in the state, about 10%, hasn鈥檛 increased since the 2021-22 school year. But teachers in Tulsa have definitely noticed the influx of newcomers. 

鈥淪ome of them just show up on Monday and they don’t speak any English,鈥� said one teacher in the district who did not want to be named in order to protect students. She often communicates with students through bilingual staff members. 鈥淚 just hear the saddest stories every day. The kids are really sweet, but they’re afraid.鈥�  

She worries about what might happen if recent immigrants are unable to attend school. 

鈥淲e provide coats,鈥� she said. 鈥淲e provide groceries on the weekends.”

鈥榃ill not comply鈥�

Norman, where about 8% of students are English learners, was among the many districts that didn鈥檛 submit any data to the state last summer. Regardless of their needs, Migliorino said, 鈥渆ducators invest in the students who show up in our district.鈥�

Leaders of other districts, including the , and the , pushed back on Walters鈥� demands, saying they haven鈥檛  asked about families鈥� immigration status and don鈥檛 intend to start. 

Bixby Superintendent told 社区黑料 the proposed rule was 鈥渃learly unconstitutional.鈥� 

鈥淏ixby will not comply,鈥� said Miller, an outspoken critic of Walters who is suing him for .

He compared Walters鈥� plan to the state鈥檚 legal battle over a first-in-the-nation religious charter school. While the Oklahoma Supreme Court said the Catholic charter violates the law, the school and the state鈥檚 charter board have appealed that ruling to the U.S. Supreme Court. The court has not yet decided whether to hear the case. 

鈥淚 believe they are trying to create a case for the Trump Supreme Court,鈥� he said.

In , a Texas school district sought to charge tuition to students not 鈥渓egally admitted鈥� to the country. The U.S. Department of Education has long interpreted the court鈥檚 opinion to mean that states 鈥渃annot do anything to chill the atmosphere or to make people feel afraid to send their kids to school,鈥� Sugarman said. 

Oklahoma isn鈥檛 the first state to attempt to curb illegal immigration鈥檚 impact on schools. In 1994, California voters passed Proposition 187, which denied undocumented immigrants access to public education and other services. The measure directed teachers to report students they suspected were undocumented to authorities. But advocates and federal courts found it .

Since then, , Arizona, Maryland and Texas have sought to ask parents about their citizenship, all for the stated purpose of determining how much it costs to serve unauthorized students. Only Alabama鈥檚 law was enacted, but a federal appeals court in 2012, after only a year. 

The issue could prove appealing for the Supreme Court, which took a sharp right turn during President-elect Donald Trump鈥檚 first term. That ideological shift resulted in the end of and the reversal of that gave federal agencies significant leeway to interpret the law. 

鈥淲e have a different court now,鈥� said Sugarman of the Migration Policy Institute. 鈥淭he court鈥檚 willingness to overturn legal precedent means that lots of things are on the table that we wouldn鈥檛 previously [have] thought were in play.鈥�

Attorney general agreement

The education department has until March to submit the rule to the legislature, where both the House and Senate must approve the measure for it to pass. If they don鈥檛 take action, the package automatically goes to the governor to sign.聽

Walters, who frequently clashes with Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond on issues like religion in public schools and education funding, has found common cause with his frequent opponent on the issue of seeking parents鈥� citizenship status. 

鈥淭he Attorney General has said he believes Oklahoma has the right to collect citizenship data in connection with government services,鈥� said spokesman Phil Bacharach.

In a , Drummond, who announced his Monday, spoke about efforts to cooperate with the incoming Trump administration to deport undocumented immigrants who are committing crimes in the state. But he didn鈥檛 address education.

As 鈥減rotected areas or sensitive locations,鈥� schools have been off limits for ICE agents at least . Ignacia Rodriguez Kmec, an attorney with the National Immigration Law Center, said she wasn鈥檛 aware of any past ICE raids at U.S. schools. But that enrollment of Hispanic students in school drops, especially in the elementary grades, when ICE and local law enforcement partner to enforce immigration laws. Following a raid at a Tennessee meatpacking plant in 2019, in the local district were absent.聽

For now, some districts have tried to reassure parents who might be hesitant to enroll their children or send them to school. Oklahoma City Superintendent Jamie Polk issued a statement saying the district鈥檚 schools 鈥渁re a safe and welcoming place for all students, and our mission remains unchanged.鈥�

But the state鈥檚 recommended rule is especially controversial in Tulsa, where conservative Board Member E鈥橪ena Ashley told a Republican group that many English learners are undocumented and could pose a safety risk to other students.

Superintendent Ebony Johnson has tried to put families at ease, saying that rulemaking is a long, drawn-out process.

鈥淭here is a place for you and your children here,鈥� Johnson said in a . 鈥淲e want students here at school every day.鈥�  

OKLAHOMA CITY 鈥� The Oklahoma State Department of Education鈥檚 request for bids from Bible suppliers, which many speculated would result in the purchase of Bibles affiliated with former president Donald Trump, has been changed at the urging of another state agency.

The Education Department鈥檚 original request for 55,000 King James Version Bibles to place in Oklahoma classrooms would have accepted only products bound in leather or a leather-like material that also contain the Pledge of Allegiance, the Declaration of Independence, the Bill of Rights and the U.S. Constitution. 

The agency announced Tuesday it amended its request for proposal, called an RFP, to allow the extra documents to be bound separately from the Bible when provided to schools. The new RFP also adds 鈥減rice鈥� to the evaluation criteria.

The Office of Management and Enterprise Services, which oversees RFPs and state contracts, requested the changes. The Education Department and its head, state Superintendent Ryan Walters, said they are 鈥減leased to make鈥� the amendments. OMES did not return a request for comment.

Reporting by found few Bibles would have met the original RFP requirements, but two products matched the criteria 鈥� both of which are Bibles endorsed by the Trump family.

Trump has earned a name, image and likeness fee for his endorsement of Lee Greenwood鈥檚 $60 God Bless the USA Bible. A similar $90 product, called the We the People Bible, has been endorsed by Donald Trump Jr.

Walters has endorsed the former president for reelection. 

He ordered all public school districts in Oklahoma to keep a copy of the Bible in classrooms as a historical reference and to incorporate the Christian text into their lesson plans, especially for history courses.

Walters said the bid process wasn鈥檛 targeted at any particular vendor. Doing so would be illegal.

鈥淭here are numerous Bible vendors in this country that have the capacity to fulfill this request,鈥� he said in a statement Tuesday. 鈥淭he purpose of the RFP process is to find a vendor that can provide the product we need, of reasonable quality, at the best value. There are numerous state employees engaged and committed to a process to determine who that best vendor will be, and I have no involvement in that process, as it should be.鈥�

Vendors have until Oct. 21 to submit bids under the amended RFP. The winning bidder will be awarded a one-year contract to ship 55,000 copies of the Bible to Oklahoma schools two weeks after receiving the contract.

Walters said his agency set aside $3 million to pay for the Bibles and from the state Legislature next year. A spokesperson for Walters said the agency is using money saved from administrative and personnel costs. Rep. Mark McBride greets state Superintendent Ryan Walters before a House education budget hearing Jan. 10 at the state Capitol. (Photo by Nuria Martinez-Keel/Oklahoma Voice)

Rep. Mark McBride, R-Moore, about whether the Education Department can move funds from one budget category to another without legislative approval. McBride, who leads a House committee on education funding, also asked whether this expense would require approval from OMES and the governor鈥檚 secretary of education.

The amended RFP requests the extra founding documents to be bound in durable material when provided separately from the Bible. The Bible is not allowed to contain study guides nor additional commentary, according to the RFP documents.

鈥淢y number one goal is to ensure that our classrooms have copies of the Bible so that it can be utilized as an appropriate tool to properly and accurately teach Oklahoma students of its important influence in the history of our country and its secular value. Period,鈥� Walters said.

However, several district leaders have said they have no plans to incorporate the Bible into their school curricula beyond what is required in Oklahoma Academic Standards.

The academic standards already mandate that schools teach about world religions and the role of religion in the establishment of American colonial governments. Oklahoma law allows districts to decide how they teach state standards.

A school-focused law firm in Oklahoma City, The Center for Education Law, predicted Walters鈥� Bible mandate is 鈥渓ikely鈥� to end up in court. A coalition of civil rights organizations, including church-state separation advocates and the American Civil Liberties Union of Oklahoma, has requested public records explaining the $3 million budget and the Bible mandate.

鈥淒iverting millions of taxpayer dollars to purchase Bibles is nothing more than a blatant attempt to divide Oklahomans along religious lines and undermine the public-school system,鈥� said Dan Mach, director of the ACLU鈥檚 Program on Freedom of Religion and Belief.

is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Oklahoma Voice maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Janelle Stecklein for questions: info@oklahomavoice.com. Follow Oklahoma Voice on and .

Oklahoma colleges and universities are working to bridge gaps in the state鈥檚 health care workforce, particularly in rural areas, by incentivizing students to pursue careers in various health care professions.

Some students pursuing degrees in health professions will be eligible for tuition payments through a new partnership between Southwestern Oklahoma State University, or SWOSU, and Comanche County Memorial Hospital, while partnerships at other schools, like the University of Oklahoma鈥檚 College of Nursing, are also taking aim at meeting workforce needs.

Critical shortages can be found in nearly all of Oklahoma鈥檚 health care professions and those shortages are intensified in rural areas, according to the

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SWOSU students who are pursuing degrees in specified health care and administrative programs can receive tuition payments if they work at the Comanche County Memorial Hospital after graduation. Students will also receive hands-on experience at the hospital while in school.

鈥淲e will serve as one of SWOSU鈥檚 clinical sites for various health care related professions,鈥� said Brent Smith, CEO of the hospital, in a statement. 鈥淲e appreciate this collaborative effort and are eager to begin this program that will help meet the growing health care needs of our community.鈥�

Joel Kendall, provost and vice president for academic affairs at SWOSU, said the partnership was modeled after a previous one between SWOSU and for nursing students.

鈥淚t鈥檚 just really important that we provide that workforce, for nursing and other allied health programs, especially in rural health,鈥� he said. 鈥淚n Oklahoma that鈥檚 critically needed right now, so partnerships like this are trying to address that.鈥�

Kendall said around 1,500 SWOSU students could be eligible to participate in this new partnership. This includes specialties in nursing, radiologic technology, physical therapy assistant, surgical technology and health care administration among others.

He said the dollar amount for the tuition payments will be decided by Comanche County Memorial Hospital and may be dependent on how many graduates accept jobs at the hospital.

Melissa Craft, interim dean of University of Oklahoma鈥檚 College of Nursing, said OU is also working to meet workforce needs by expanding the number of students accepted into the school鈥檚 nursing program.

In a 2022 OU news release, the Oklahoma Nurses Association that the state had 712 nurses per 100,000 residents, which ranked Oklahoma 46th in the nation in terms of nurses per capita.

鈥淥ur qualifications for application and what would make someone an eligible student have always kept the same. What we changed was our ability to accept,鈥� Craft said. 鈥淭he goal is still that we accept all qualified applicants.鈥�

Craft said 鈥渉ealth care is needed everywhere,鈥� not just in Oklahoma鈥檚 metro areas.

She said OU works with five regional sites in Oklahoma City, Tulsa, Lawton, Duncan and Norman to provide nursing students with hands-on learning experiences, like the SWOSU students.

But beyond the learning experience, Craft said partnering with regional hospitals helps the students find and build a community with those they work with and the patients they serve.

鈥淣ursing is about relationships 鈥� we know that if we can partner with a facility and the nursing students, while they鈥檙e in school, can feel like they are a part of that community the chance that students will go to work there is really very, very high,鈥� Craft said.

She said that OU graduates more nursing students than 鈥渁nyone else鈥� and while it鈥檚 an honor, 鈥渨e graduate them for the workforce of Oklahoma.鈥�

Craft said that in 2020, OU鈥檚 College of Nursing graduated 313 nurses. In 2024, that number has grown to 456 nurses.

She said that OU offers financial assistance to qualifying nursing students through various grants. The offers loan forgiveness to nurses who go on to educate the next generation of nurses after graduation. The Oklahoma Workforce Innovations and Nursing offers financial assistance to dozens of advanced practice nursing students per year.

is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Oklahoma Voice maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Janelle Stecklein for questions: info@oklahomavoice.com. Follow Oklahoma Voice on and .

OKLAHOMA CITY 鈥� New guidance from Oklahoma City Public Schools regarding a state mandate to teach the Bible requires teachers to reference the text鈥檚 historical and literary aspects only in the 鈥渟pecific instances鈥� that state academic standards allow.

In issuing the guidance on Wednesday, Superintendent Jamie Polk also advised teachers to document detailed lesson plans and not to stray from district-approved curriculum materials.

The Bible must 鈥渘ot be used for preaching or indoctrination,鈥� and Oklahoma City schools, the state鈥檚 second largest district, must maintain 鈥渁bsolute neutrality and objectivity鈥� when referencing it, Polk said.

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鈥淥ur goal is to provide a balanced, objective approach that respects diverse beliefs by adhering to both state requirements and federal laws and regulations,鈥� she said in a memo to teachers, who returned to work this week.

Last month, state Superintendent Ryan Walters starting in the 2024-25 school year.

His mandate also includes a provision that all classrooms keep a copy of the Bible, the Ten Commandments, the Declaration of Independence and the U.S. Constitution.

Walters鈥� order aims to add extra guidelines to the state academic standards, which are a lengthy list of topics and concepts that Oklahoma public schools must teach.

The Bible is not mentioned in the existing standards for social studies, English language arts, fine arts or music 鈥� the subject areas Walters identified for Bible instruction. However, the social studies standards require schools to teach about major world religions and the role of religion in the establishment of some American colonial governments.

Walters鈥� guidelines seek a much deeper exploration of the Bible, including analysis of biblical passages, instruction on its influence in Western civilization and American history, and references to it in literature and fine arts.

鈥淭o ensure our students are equipped to understand and contextualize our nation, its culture, and its founding, every student in Oklahoma will be taught the Bible in its historical, cultural, and literary context,鈥� Walters said in a statement on the mandate.

The order quickly became controversial over concerns for church-state separation and local control of school curriculum. Leaders of multiple school districts have since said their districts won鈥檛 implement more instruction on the Bible outside of what state standards already require.

Polk said her guidance is meant to give legal cover to teachers in case one of them faces a complaint.

鈥淲e have to protect teachers, and when this came out, one of the first things we did was we rallied together as a team, and I had the curriculum department at the table and I had the legal department at the table,鈥� Polk said in an interview with Oklahoma Voice. 鈥淚 asked the legal team, 鈥業f one of our teachers got in trouble because of the Bible, what would you need to defend them?鈥欌��

Documenting lesson plans, including the way teachers present the information to students, will be 鈥渆ssential,鈥� she said.

The Center for Education Law, an Oklahoma City law firm that provides legal counsel to OKCPS, raised doubts over the viability of Walters鈥� Bible mandate. Any attempt by the state to direct how Oklahoma schools teach academic standards would infringe on local district authority and is 鈥渋nvalid under Oklahoma law,鈥� the law firm wrote in a letter to schools.

Polk鈥檚 statement to teachers on Wednesday also referenced another, similarly polarizing announcement from Walters asking schools to provide a cost analysis of educating undocumented students. Walters said his administration would release guidance on the matter in the coming weeks.

Families don鈥檛 have to provide information on their immigration status to enroll their children in public schools. The Oklahoma City district doesn鈥檛 ask for these details, and Polk said it doesn鈥檛 plan to start doing so.

The recent orders created a tricky start this summer to Polk鈥檚 tenure as Oklahoma City鈥檚 superintendent, but after 36 years in education, she said she knows 鈥渢here鈥檚 always something鈥� that will stir debate.

She said she still aims to maintain a working relationship with the state Education Department to ensure students 鈥渞eceive what they need in order for them to have a diploma in one hand and a plan in the other as they walk across the stage.鈥�

鈥淭he topics change, but there鈥檚 always conflict,鈥� Polk said while looking back on the national controversies that erupted over past decades. 鈥淏ut as Americans, how do we navigate problems?

鈥淗ow do we come to the table then and let me hear your voice so I can accept your viewpoint, but you too then get to hear my voice?鈥�

is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Oklahoma Voice maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Janelle Stecklein for questions: info@oklahomavoice.com. Follow Oklahoma Voice on and .

OKLAHOMA CITY 鈥� Oklahoma reached a new milestone on Monday with a new superintendent taking office in Oklahoma City Public Schools.

For the first time, Black women are simultaneously leading the state鈥檚 two largest school districts, OKCPS and Tulsa Public Schools.

Jamie Polk on Monday, succeeding Sean McDaniel.

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Ebony Johnson became the first Black woman to lead the Tulsa district, the state鈥檚 largest by enrollment, when she was picked to be interim superintendent in September and .

Polk said she looks forward to working with Johnson to enrich students鈥� educational experiences and opportunities.

鈥淚t is our shared belief that every child should see themselves represented in the educators and leaders who guide them in their educational journey,鈥� Polk said.

Tulsa schools did not return a request for comment from Johnson.

When Johnson was promoted in TPS, Oklahoma had only one other Black female superintendent working in the state at the time 鈥� Cecilia Robinson-Woods at Millwood Public Schools.

Robinson-Woods said she sees Johnson鈥檚 and Polk鈥檚 hiring as a 鈥渂ig step鈥� for women, especially Black women, to be given the confidence and trust to lead a school district.

It鈥檚 also a boost in representation of groups that aren鈥檛 always well served, she said.

鈥淚t is not a secret that minority children, especially Black children, have the lowest test scores in everything,鈥� Robinson-Woods said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 not to say just because you have someone of color that things are going to change for those learners, but it does at least give you an insight, and it does at least broaden the conversation about what kids need.鈥�

on minority students鈥� test scores and long-term outcomes when they have a teacher of their same race.

But the demographics of educators and school leaders in Oklahoma public schools are vastly different from that of the students they serve, . While 77% of public educators in the state are white, more than half of all students are racial or ethnic minorities.

Having diverse leadership is important in districts that want to prioritize equity, said Karlos Hill, regents鈥� associate professor of African and African American studies at the University of Oklahoma.

鈥淲e care about equity both in terms of making sure our kids are fairly educated, but we also should care about the people who are educating them,鈥� Hill said, 鈥渁nd making sure that there鈥檚 a diverse group of, not only teachers, but diverse leadership to make sure that the policies (and) the procedures of the school are not just reflective of one group, but of the community.鈥�

Hiring Black female superintendents is significant in the context of the state鈥檚 鈥渓ong and deep history of exclusion鈥� for people of color, said Hill, who is also the OU president鈥檚 adviser for community engagement.

That history, he said, is the reason Oklahoma didn鈥檛 reach this milestone decades ago.

鈥淚f we care about equity, we will care about that history of exclusion and the ways in which it shows up today,鈥� Hill said.

Unlike in Tulsa, there are Black female predecessors in the Oklahoma City superintendent鈥檚 office. The first was Betty Mason in 1992, who also was the first woman and the first African American superintendent to lead OKCPS.

鈥淲e all owe her a debt of gratitude for setting the stage for the historic moment we find ourselves in today,鈥� Polk said.

The new superintendent said her district will continue to recruit diverse teachers through its 鈥淕row Our Own鈥� program. The initiative, founded in 2016 at the OKCPS Foundation, covers the cost of a teaching degree for paraprofessionals working in the district.

Twenty-five teachers, most of whom are bilingual or racially diverse, have earned a bachelor鈥檚 degree through the program so far, and another 81 are on track to graduate this summer. The OKCPS Foundation launched a similar program to .

Sen. George Young, D-Oklahoma City, said he hopes Polk will continue to emphasize the teacher pipeline program and overall teacher pay. Young has represented the historically Black area of northeast Oklahoma City in the state Legislature for 10 years and is a pastor in the community.

鈥淲hen you鈥檝e got folks who look like you standing in front of you, it does make a difference,鈥� Young said. 鈥淚t doesn鈥檛 make all the difference, but it sure does make a difference. And so I hope that she will remember that and see the things that made a difference in her life. And I think that鈥檒l make a difference in the life of our school district.鈥�

An Iowa native, Polk spent 25 years as a teacher, principal and district administrator in Lawton Public Schools, where she moved because of her husband鈥檚 military career. McDaniel, the outgoing OKCPS superintendent, hired her in 2019 to oversee the district鈥檚 elementary schools.

Leading the neighboring district of Millwood, Robinson-Woods said she鈥檚 gotten to know Polk as a 鈥渧ery personable鈥� leader and a data-driven problem solver.

Similar descriptions have been applied to Johnson, who is from the Oklahoma State Department of Education. Johnson was raised in Tulsa and spent her entire career in the district when the local school board promoted her from chief academic officer to superintendent.

Like Johnson, this is Polk鈥檚 first superintendent job, one she said she鈥檚 鈥渄eeply honored鈥� to accept.

鈥淢oving forward, OKCPS will remain steadfast in our dedication to cultivating leadership that reflects the vibrant tapestry of the communities we serve,鈥� Polk said.

is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Oklahoma Voice maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Janelle Stecklein for questions: info@oklahomavoice.com. Follow Oklahoma Voice on and .

OKLAHOMA CITY 鈥� With efforts underway to boost and in Oklahoma鈥檚 City鈥檚 northeast side, LaTasha Timberlake saw a need to strengthen another core piece of the historically Black area 鈥� its schools.

That鈥檚 why the longtime educator and nonprofit director is part of a group trying to found a charter middle school in her home community.

Willard C. Pitts Academy is one of four potential charter schools seeking approval from Oklahoma City Public Schools to open in 2025. Three of the charter schools plan to operate in the northeast quadrant of the city.

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鈥淎ny time when you are talking about expanding a specific part of town and creating more opportunities, I think that you have to look at it holistically,鈥� Timberlake said. 鈥淵ou can鈥檛 just look at it from a space of just housing and just commercialism, but also education.鈥�

Like Timberlake, Carma Barlow said she hopes to give back to her home community by founding a northeast-area charter school, Rise STEAM Academy.

The academy would incorporate its core disciplines of science, technology, engineering, arts and math throughout the school day. An example is learning to read by completing an engineering project, said Barlow, who was a founding principal at an Oklahoma City elementary in Santa Fe South Charter Schools.

Both Barlow and Timberlake said northeast Oklahoma City needs greater variety in educational models. Most schools in the area use teaching methods that are common to traditional public schools.

鈥淚 think one thing we can all agree on in education is every child is different,鈥� Barlow said. 鈥淚 think providing options for those different bands of students is an exciting thing. And to be able to do that in a community where there aren鈥檛 any options that stray from the traditional model is something I鈥檓 excited about.鈥�

Timberlake called her charter鈥檚 concept a 鈥渟chool without walls.鈥� Willard C. Pitts Academy would invite local nonprofits and businesses to take part in educating students, like having an area YMCA host gym class, she said.

The two other applying charter schools would deviate even further from teaching norms by implementing the Montessori method.

Montessori schools are known for their nontraditional classroom design and a student-driven structure of the school day with emphasis on individual, hands-on learning.

P3 Urban Montessori proposes enrolling students ages 3-5 primarily from the northeast Oklahoma City ZIP code 73111. Its founding group is led by the superintendent of Millwood Public Schools, Cecilia Robinson-Woods, who declined to comment this early in the application process.

The Oklahoma Montessori Initiative would enroll students in pre-K through fourth grade mostly from the northwest side of Oklahoma City. Representatives of the school did not return requests for comment.

But, this is a district where at least three charter schools have closed in the past 10 years for poor academic or fiscal performance. A fourth charter school that the district rejected, Sovereign Community School, opened in Oklahoma City with the state Board of Education鈥檚 permission and three years later .

With that history in mind, Lewis said the district school board wants to see a strong financial plan from the new charter applicants.

鈥淲e want what鈥檚 good for kids, and if charter schools bring forward an option that we鈥檙e not providing that would provide opportunities for kids, then we鈥檒l get behind that as a board,鈥� Lewis said. 鈥淲hen it comes to charter schools, we鈥檙e responsible to make sure they have their finances in place and that it鈥檚 just a workable plan.鈥�

The school district鈥檚 board and staff have raised questions about a lack of details in the applications about where the schools would locate and their start-up funding.

The board has until Dec. 1 to decide whether to accept or reject the applications, after which the applicants could reapply or seek out another charter authorizer.

Barlow said she鈥檚 exploring start-up grants and potential sites for Rise STEAM Academy, but she can鈥檛 secure either until the charter is officially approved. She and Timberlake said being authorized by OKCPS could be a beneficial partnership for both their charter schools and the district.

But OKCPS isn鈥檛 the only entity that could approve these schools. They could seek out authorization from the state government or a university.

鈥淚鈥檓 willing to partner with whoever is willing to partner with me,鈥� Barlow said.

The groups behind the four charter applications all were part of a new school design program from the Oklahoma Public School Resource Center, which provides training and services to public schools.

The organization鈥檚 founder, Brent Bushey, said the program gathers educators and community members to develop new, innovative models of schooling. Although it was a coincidence that all four groups created Oklahoma City charter schools, Bushey said they would bring needed diversity to the city鈥檚 public-school landscape.

鈥淭hat鈥檚 the benefit here is we have a growing city, we have a thriving city at so many different levels, and I think they鈥檙e trying to provide another option for families,鈥� Bushey said.

is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Oklahoma Voice maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Janelle Stecklein for questions: info@oklahomavoice.com. Follow Oklahoma Voice on and .

OKLAHOMA CITY 鈥� By the summer of 2021, Phil Maytubby, deputy CEO of the health department here, was concerned to see the numbers of people getting vaccinated against covid-19 slipping after an initially robust response. With doubt, fear, and misinformation running rampant nationwide 鈥� both online and offline 鈥� he knew the agency needed to rethink its messaging strategy.

So, the health department conducted something called an online 鈥渟entiment search,鈥� which gauges how certain words are perceived on social media. The tool found that many people in Oklahoma City didn鈥檛 like the word 鈥渧accinate鈥� 鈥� a term featured prominently in the health department鈥檚 marketing campaign.

鈥淚f you don鈥檛 know how your message is resonating with the public,鈥� Maytubby said, 鈥測ou鈥檙e shooting in the dark.鈥�

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Across the country, health officials have been trying to combat misinformation and restore trust within their communities these past few years, a period when many people in their state and local health departments. Agencies are using Twitter, for example, to appeal to niche audiences, such as and . They鈥檙e collaborating with influencers and celebrities such as and to extend their reach.

Some of these efforts have paid off. By now, of U.S. residents have received at least one shot of a covid vaccine.

But data suggests that the skepticism and misinformation surrounding covid vaccines now threatens other public health priorities. Flu vaccine coverage among children in mid-December was about the same as December 2021, but it was 3.7 percentage points lower compared with late 2020, according to the . The decrease in flu vaccination coverage among pregnant women was even more dramatic over the last two years: 18 percentage points lower.

Other common childhood vaccination rates are down, too, compared with . Nationally, 35% of all American parents oppose requiring children to be vaccinated for measles, mumps, and rubella before entering school, up from 23% in 2019, according to a released Dec. 16. Suspicion swirling around once-trusted vaccines, as well as fatigue from so many shots, is likely to blame.

Part of the problem comes down to a lack of investment that eroded the public health system before the pandemic began. An found local health department spending dropped by 18% per capita between 2010 and 2020. State and local health agencies also lost nearly 40,000 jobs between the 2008 recession and the emergence of the pandemic.

This made their response to a once-in-a-century public health crisis challenging and often inadequate. For example, during covid鈥檚 early days, many local health departments to report covid case counts.

鈥淲e were not as flexible as we are now,鈥� said , director of public health at the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control.

At the start of the pandemic, Traxler said, only two people worked on the media relations and public outreach team at South Carolina鈥檚 health department. Now, the team has eight.

The agency has changed its communication strategies in other ways, too. Last year was the first year, for example, that South Carolina published data on flu vaccinations every two weeks, with the goal of raising awareness about the effectiveness of the shots. In South Carolina, of adults and children eligible for a flu shot had been vaccinated by early December, even as flu cases and hospitalizations climbed. The flu vaccine rate across all age groups in the U.S. was 51.4% last season.

Those who have opted out of both the covid and flu shots seem to be correlated, Traxler said.

鈥淲e鈥檙e really just trying to dispel misinformation that鈥檚 out there,鈥� Traxler said. To that end, the health department has partnered with local leaders and groups to encourage vaccinations. Agency staffers have also become more comfortable talking to the press, she said, to better communicate with the public.

But some that agencies are still failing on messaging. Scientific words such as 鈥渕RNA technology,鈥� 鈥渂ivalent vaccine,鈥� and 鈥渕onoclonal antibodies鈥� are used a lot in public health even though many people find them difficult to understand.

A study published by found that covid-related language used by state-level agencies was often more complex than an eighth-grade reading level and harder to understand than the language commonly used by the CDC.

鈥淲e have to communicate complex ideas to the public, and this is where we fail,鈥� said , CEO of the de Beaumont Foundation, a charitable group focused on strengthening public health. 鈥淲e have to own the fact that our communication missteps created the environment where disinformation flourished.鈥�

Most Americans support public health, Castrucci said. At the same time, a small but vocal minority pushes an anti-science agenda and has been effective in sowing seeds of distrust, he said.

The more than 3,000 public health departments nationwide stand to benefit from a unified message, he said. In late 2020, the foundation, working with other public health groups, established the to amplify easy-to-understand information about vaccines.

鈥淭he good guys need to be just as well organized as those who seek to do harm to the nation,鈥� he said. 鈥淥ne would think we would learn from this.鈥�

Meanwhile, published in October by the Pew Research Center found 57% of U.S. adults believe 鈥渇alse and misleading information about the coronavirus and vaccines has contributed a lot to problems the country鈥� has faced amid the pandemic.

鈥淚 was leery like everyone else,鈥� said Davie Baker, 61, an Oklahoma City woman who owns a business that sells window treatments. When the shots became widely available in 2021, she thought they had been developed too quickly, and she worried about some of the things she鈥檇 read online about side effects. A pharmacist at Sam鈥檚 Club changed her mind.

鈥淪he just kind of educated me on what the shot was really about,鈥� Baker said. 鈥淪he cleared up some things for me.鈥�

Baker signed up for her first covid shot in May 2021, around the same time the health department in Oklahoma City noticed the number of vaccines administered daily was starting to decline.

The department updated its marketing campaign in early 2022. Instead of using the word 鈥渧accinate鈥� to encourage more people to get their covid shots 鈥� the term the agency鈥檚 social media analytics revealed people didn鈥檛 like 鈥� the new campaign urged people to 鈥淐hoose Today!鈥�

鈥淧eople don鈥檛 trust like they used to,鈥� Maytubby said. 鈥淭hey want to make up their own minds and make their own decisions.鈥� The word 鈥渃hoose鈥� acknowledged this preference, he said.

Maytubby thinks the 鈥淐hoose Today!鈥� campaign worked. A survey of 502 adults in Oklahoma City conducted during the first half of 2022 found fewer than 20% of respondents reacted negatively or very negatively to a sample of 鈥淐hoose Today!鈥� advertisements. And an estimated have received at least one dose of a covid vaccine 鈥� a rate higher than the state average of about 73%.

Other factors are likely at play that have helped bolster Oklahoma City鈥檚 vaccine numbers. In the same survey of Oklahoma City adults, some people who were recently vaccinated said family members or church leaders urged them to get the vaccine, or they knew someone who had died from covid. One person said money was the motivation 鈥� they received $900 from their employer for getting the covid vaccine.

Meanwhile, the war against misinformation and disinformation wages on. Childhood vaccination rates for the immunizations students typically need to enter kindergarten are down 4.5% in Oklahoma County since the 2017-18 academic year as parents increasingly seek exemptions to the requirements.

That worries Maytubby. He said the primary tactic among those trying to sow distrust about vaccinations has been to cast doubt 鈥� about everything from the science to their safety.

鈥淚n that aspect, they鈥檝e been pretty successful,鈥� Maytubby said. 鈥淢isinformation has changed everything.鈥�

(Kaiser Health News) is a national newsroom that produces in-depth journalism about health issues. Together with Policy Analysis and Polling, KHN is one of the three major operating programs at (Kaiser Family Foundation). KFF is an endowed nonprofit organization providing information on health issues to the nation.

Oklahoma on Friday became the first state to enact legislation . and lawmakers have advanced bills to do the same 鈥� marking the start of a trend vaccine policy experts say is largely symbolic, but could still hamper the campaign to conquer COVID-19.

Oklahoma鈥檚 prohibition on vaccine mandates covers not just K-12 schools, but colleges, universities and career and technical centers. While more than 400 higher education institutions across the country have announced an immunization requirement for the fall, Oklahoma is one out of only 15 states without a college or university on .

Unlike post-secondary institutions, K-12 school districts do not have the legal grounding to mandate vaccines. Even before Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt signed , no public schools in his state 鈥� or any other, for that matter 鈥� were able to mandate COVID vaccines.

鈥淭he list of vaccines required for school is already set in the law. So you’d have to change the law anyway [before adding COVID vaccines],鈥� UC Hastings law professor Dorit Reiss told 社区黑料.

Top Oklahoma school districts confirmed that the recent bill will not change their plans.

鈥淸It] does not impact our ongoing efforts to ensure the safety of our students and team members,鈥� Tulsa Public Schools spokesperson Lauren Partain wrote in an email to 社区黑料. Though the district is providing opportunities for eligible students and staff to receive vaccinations, she said, 鈥渨e are not requiring students to receive the COVID-19 vaccine at this time.鈥�

In Oklahoma City Public Schools, the state鈥檚 largest school system, media relations manager Crystal Raymond told 社区黑料 that 鈥淐OVID vaccine requirements have never been on the table for students or staff.鈥�

Nationwide, the power to add shots to schools鈥� lists of required vaccinations, experts say, rests with state officials who will be unlikely to make any changes until vaccines receive full approval from the Food and Drug Administration, a clearance for which both and have applied. The federal agency authorized youth aged 12 to 15 for shots based on their existing emergency use approval in mid-May.

The value of the Oklahoma law, which goes into effect July 1, or similar bills pending in Michigan and Pennsylvania may be more symbolic than functional, Reiss says. Once vaccines gain full approval from the FDA, the legislature could theoretically add coronavirus shots to the list of vaccines required for school entry, such as those that protect against measles, mumps and rubella 鈥� if the political will exists.

鈥淸This bill] indicates that it’s unlikely that Oklahoma will pass a COVID-19 vaccine mandate anytime soon,鈥� said Reiss.

Also included in the bill is a provision against 鈥渧accine passports鈥� and a ban on any school policies that require only non-vaccinated populations to wear face coverings.

The University of Oklahoma, which in May, now asserts that face coverings for unvaccinated community members remain 鈥渟trongly recommended,鈥� but not required, spokesperson Kesha Keith told 社区黑料.

Oklahoma joins a range of states including Georgia, Alabama, Arizona and Florida, which have already . Elsewhere, however, vaccinated and unvaccinated individuals increasingly have access to two separate worlds.

New York City has rolled out its Excelsior Pass, the nation鈥檚 first government-issued vaccine passport, which allows residents to show proof of vaccination via an app and QR code 鈥� often as an . Outside the U.S., a digital record of vaccination on Tuesday.

Such efforts reflect policymakers鈥� confidence in coronavirus vaccines, which scientists agree are safe and . In Ohio, schools have seen a as inoculations have become more widespread. Even Republican Alaska Gov. Mike Dunleavy touted his state鈥檚 high vaccination rates as a selling point to entice tourists this summer.

鈥淗aving one of the highest vaccination rates in the country, our people are safe and you will be, too,鈥� Dunleavy said in the ad. (Alaska has since fallen to the in COVID-19 immunization.)

In Florida, the vaccine passport ban has put Gov. Ron DeSantis on a with cruise lines, one of the state鈥檚 top industries. While cruise executives seek to comply with CDC guidelines by ensuring that nearly all staff and passengers are fully immunized, given the inherent vulnerability of packing thousands of individuals into tight quarters at sea, DeSantis has largely dismissed their concerns.

鈥淚n Florida, your personal choice regarding vaccinations will be protected, and no business or government entity will be able to deny you services based on your decision,” he said. In response, at least one major line has threatened to leave the state.

For Oklahoma state Sen. Rob Standridge, one of the authors of the law prohibiting vaccine requirements in school, the logic behind the legislation follows a similar throughline.

鈥淭o force kids 鈥� to be vaccinated against their parents鈥� wishes … I don鈥檛 think we should be doing that as a government,鈥� he said in a press conference.

On the Senate floor, however, before the bill was passed, Democratic state Sen. J.J. Dossett made the case that the ban represented a government overreach 鈥� an argument frequently voiced by Republicans.

鈥淲hy in this body are we telling local entities what they should or shouldn鈥檛 be doing?鈥� he asked fellow lawmakers.

When 社区黑料 posed that question to Standridge, he did not offer a response.

These debates, says Reiss, of UC Hastings College of the Law, represent divisions that have emerged time and again throughout the pandemic.

鈥淚t shows us that the pandemic has been politicized,鈥� she said, arguing that, ultimately, legislation discouraging vaccinations will extend the public health crisis.

鈥淭he virus needs hosts to survive. Less vaccines, more hosts, more room for the virus to stay around and keep hurting us.鈥�