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In The Know is your daily briefing on Oklahoma policy-related news. OK Policy encourages the support of Oklahoma’s state and local media, which are vital to an informed citizenry. Inclusion of a story does not necessarily mean endorsement by the Oklahoma Policy Institute. Some stories included here are behind paywall or require subscription. Subscribe to In The Know and see past editions.
New from OK Policy
Breaking Oklahoma’s cycle of incarceration requires coordinated efforts, investments (Capitol Update): Poor educational attainment, housing instability, lack of earning skills, untreated drug and alcohol abuse, racial and gender discrimination — especially aggravated in Oklahoma by the over-representation of minority and female incarceration — contribute to over-incarceration, which then creates a cycle that becomes generational. [Steve Lewis / Capitol Update]
Oklahoma News
Oklahoma Supreme Court puts new social studies standards on hold: The Oklahoma Supreme Court has temporarily blocked controversial new academic standards for social studies education while a lawsuit challenging their constitutionality is pending. Oklahoma public schools must revert to the previous version of the social studies standards approved in 2019, the Court ruled in a 5-2 decision issued Monday. [Oklahoma Voice]
- Oklahoma Supreme Court blocks controversial social studies standards [Tulsa World]
- Oklahoma Supreme Court temporarily blocks implementation of controversial social studies standards [KOSU]
- Oklahoma ordered to stop implementing controversial social studies standards [The Oklahoman]
- State Supreme Court pauses new social studies standards in Oklahoma [KFOR]
State Government News
Land Commissioners Turn Away Projects Amid Anti-Renewable Pressures: Amid a political climate increasingly hostile to renewable energy, Oklahoma’s public schools could be losing out on a crucial revenue source. Over the past year, the Commissioners of the Land Office have voted down several wind and solar leases on state-owned land, going against the recommendations of their own staff and forgoing millions of dollars that could have directly benefited the state’s education system. [Oklahoma Watch]
Legal roundup: Drummond weighs in on abortion, drag; feds rule prosecutors must prove ‘Indian status’: In the past two weeks, Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond has weighed in on two of the hottest topics for the Republican Party during recent election cycles: abortion and drag. [NonDoc]
Oklahoma lawmakers explore the benefits of using solar panels on working agricultural land: Whether agrivoltaics could be valuable for Oklahoma farmers and ranchers was the topic of an interim study at the state capitol earlier this month. The practice involves using solar projects in tandem with livestock or growing food. [StateImpact Oklahoma via KGOU]
Oklahoma GOP wants to honor Charlie Kirk with state holiday: The party’s state committee passed a resolution calling on state lawmakers to make a state holiday for Kirk. The committee said he should have a holiday, like Martin Luther King Jr. [KFOR]
Federal Government News
Appeals ruling threatens routine care access for Medicaid enrollees at Planned Parenthood: Planned Parenthood clinics throughout the country began telling Medicaid patients Friday that their routine health care appointments will no longer be covered as a federal court order takes effect. The change, which could remain in place for months, if not longer, will likely impact the hundreds of thousands of Medicaid enrollees who go to Planned Parenthood clinics for health care not related to abortion. [Oklahoma Voice]
Impact of Trump administration’s cuts to Oklahoma medical research funding unclear: Oklahoma’s institutions are refusing to discuss the impacts of the Trump administration’s decision to cut federal research grants for projects with ties to diversity, equity and inclusion. The University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center reported losing the biggest share of funding. [Oklahoma Voice]
Trump administration sued for using Ghana as ‘end-run’ around deportation protections: A Friday lawsuit from a civil rights group accused the Trump administration of bypassing deportation restrictions on immigrants slated for removal by sending them to Ghana and having the West African nation deport them to their countries of origin, despite credible findings they could face harm there. [Oklahoma Voice]
Former women firefighters urge return of training program struck by anti-DEI cuts: The Women in Wildfire Boot Camp program was established in 2011 and continued for more than a decade before it was terminated in February because of President Donald Trump’s executive order banning diversity, equity and inclusion programs in the federal government. [Oklahoma Voice]
Education News
Walters orders schools to honor Charlie Kirk with moment of silence: Republican State schools Superintendent Ryan Walters says “every school in Oklahoma will observe a moment of silence” to honor slain conservative political icon Charlie Kirk. Yet the administrators of at least five Oklahoma City-area school districts quickly dismissed Walters’ directive, describing it as unnecessary and disruptive. [The Oklahoman]
- Area schools buck Superintendent Ryan Walters’ call for moment of silence for Charlie Kirk [Tulsa World]
- How Tulsa metro schools are responding to Ryan Walters’ letter about moment of silence for Charlie Kirk [News 9]
- Many Oklahoma school districts opt out of moment of silence for Charlie Kirk [KOCO]
Charter contract canceled for OKC Montessori school: The Oklahoma City Board of Education voted unanimously Monday to rescind its charter contract with Oklahoma Public Montessori Initiative. The rescission is a mutual agreement with the charter school, which failed to complete the necessary steps to open as planned for the 2025-26 academic year. [Oklahoma Voice]
Oklahoma parents, students adjust to statewide school cell phone restrictions: Students have been back in school for one month now, and for some students, the school hours are dragging on without their phones. With the passing of Senate Bill 139, all public schools in the state are required to enforce policies that limit phone usage from the first bell to the last bell. [News 9]
Opinion: If Oklahoma reading scores were sports rankings, the outrage would be deafening: The latest results from the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) paint a stark picture. Only 23% of Oklahoma’s fourth-graders read at or above the proficient level. That ranks Oklahoma students last against other states in the Big 12 and the SEC, two conferences where Oklahomans are proud to compete on the field and on the court. [Chad Warmington / The Oklahoman]
Health News
Oklahoma pulls back curtain on opioid settlement money, but victims’ families still have questions: From the panhandle to its eastern border, the opioid crisis has reached every corner of Oklahoma. As a direct result of deaths of Oklahomans, the state has won more than $900 million from the distributors, pharmacies and companies that profited most from opioid sales. [KOSU]
Criminal Justice News
OKC police to continue using Flock cameras despite concerns of federal agency misuse: Flock cameras, often mounted on poles and mostly powered by solar panels, read license plate numbers and automatically run them through a database of crimes that have been committed using a vehicle. [The Oklahoman]
Oklahoma inmate asks court to reconsider her case under the OK Survivor’s Act: April Wilkins, an Oklahoma woman who shot and killed her ex-boyfriend in 1998, is seeking release from prison under the Oklahoma Survivors’ Act and is asking the court to reconsider a recent ruling against her. [KFOR]
Hearing for protective order against OK County Commissioner Myles Davidson on hold: Oklahoma County Commissioner Myles Davidson avoided a victim’s protective order being issued against him Monday, Sept. 15, after a hearing was delayed because of a possible criminal investigation. [The Oklahoman]
Oklahoma Co. Detention Center Interim CEO Resigns: Paul Timmons has resigned as Interim CEO of the Oklahoma Co. Detention Center. The resignation comes after a lengthy executive session at Monday’s Oklahoma County Jail Trust meeting. [KFOR]
- Shakeup at the Oklahoma County jail: Interim CEO Paul Timmons resigns; assistant fired [The Oklahoman]
Former Skiatook officer gets qualified immunity in deadly chase; one legal claim remains: judge granted qualified immunity Friday to a former Skiatook police officer accused in a lawsuit of intentionally crashing into and killing a motorcyclist, who fled the officer’s attempted stop for speeding and led her on a chase into a construction site in Tulsa in May 2022. [Tulsa World]
Housing & Economic Opportunity News
City-county dispute torpedoes low-barrier homeless shelter: lans for a low-barrier shelter that homeless advocates say would have significantly eased street homelessness in the city have collapsed as the result of a dispute between county commissioners and Mayor Monroe Nichols. [Tulsa World]
- From OK Policy: Housing First is the only model proven to reduce homelessness while saving taxpayer dollars.
Community News
Oklahoma State University researchers track more kudzu sites around state: Kudzu is considered the “vine that strangled the South,” and Oklahoma State University students are tracking more kudzu sites around the state. In 2024, Oklahoma lawmakers floated a bill to include kudzu in the Oklahoma Noxious Weed Law, which is like the state’s plant hit list to prevent problematic plants from growing. Despite support in the legislature, the measure was vetoed by Gov. Kevin Stitt. [KOSU]
Local Headlines
- 5 things to know about the world’s largest company partnering with a Tulsa firm on AI training [Tulsa World]
- New dog park, Center of the Universe, green space planned for downtown [Tulsa World]
- OKC Council approves $32M soccer facility upgrades for two parks [The Journal Record]
- Former Cox Convention Center on track to be demolished by end of 2025 [The Oklahoman]
- Why parks spending won’t be sacrificed if Edmond voters OK streets-only sales tax renewal [The Oklahoman]
Quote of the Day
“My kid died from opiates, she’s one of the statistics from that, so we should have public knowledge of what you’re spending it on.”
– Diane Searle, who lost her 19-year-old daughter, Jillian, to an opioid overdose in 2018 and who now leads an advocacy and support group for other Tulsa families affected by the opioid crisis. Searle criticized the handling of over $900 million in settlement money awarded to the state by drug manufacturers, much of which has yet to be distributed five years later. [KOSU]
Number of the Day
24%
The provisional decline in U.S. drug overdose deaths for the 12 months ending in September 2024 compared to the year prior. Despite this encouraging drop, overdoses remain the leading cause of death for Americans ages 18–44, underscoring the need for sustained prevention and treatment efforts. [Center for Disease Control and Prevention]
Policy Note
‘Ecosystem’ Approach Gives States Hope in Fighting Overdose Crisis: State leaders are adopting a coordinated “ecosystem” approach to the overdose crisis that aligns public health, criminal justice, health care, emergency responders, and peer support into a unified response model. Emphasizing real-time data, broader access to naloxone, EMS-driven interventions, and initiation of treatment in emergency departments strengthens early detection and connection to care. Tailored, state-specific action plans developed through collaborative, interdisciplinary sessions signal a shift toward pragmatic, cross-sector solutions for overdose prevention. [National Conference of State Legislatures]
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