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In The Know is a daily synopsis of Oklahoma policy-related news and blogs. Inclusion of a story does not necessarily mean endorsement by the Oklahoma Policy Institute. You can sign up here to receive In The Know by e-mail.
Texas officials have agreed to keep secret certain records pertaining to the autopsy of Clayton Lockett, who died following Oklahoma’s botched execution attempt. Oklahoma officials requested even more autopsy records be kept from the public, but the Texas attorney general said the state would only shield those that could identify the pharmacy that supplied the lethal injection drugs. The Tulsa couple who successfully challenged Oklahoma’s ban on same-sex marriage filed a brief urging the U.S. Supreme Court to use the case to decide the issue for the entire nation. On the OK Policy Blog, Camille Landry shares a story of a youth caught in Oklahoma’s school to prison pipeline.
David Blatt’s Journal Record column debunks the perception that Oklahoma is providing welfare checks to large numbers of adults who should be working. The State Board of Education approved the formation of a steering committee to recommend a process for developing new academic standards to replace Common Core. Ten school employees from across the state were flagged in a recent check as illegally working without a valid certificate. Oklahoma Watch reported that the teacher shortage in Oklahoma has led to an explosion in the number of teachers given emergency classroom certification, meaning more districts are relying on teachers to teach subjects they are not fully trained for.
Seven landowners in Canadian and Kingfisher counties filed a class-action lawsuit this week to prevent wind turbines from being built near their homes. A Northern Michigan judge is expected to issue a ruling on whether Chesapeake Energy should stand trial on racketeering charges that accuse it of leasing land to thwart competitors and then canceling the deals when the competition ended. Oklahoma City’s unemployment rate — already one of the lowest in the nation among large cities — improved in July, as did the rates in more than two-thirds of the state’s counties.
The Number of the Day is Percentage of Oklahoma children who have witnessed domestic violence in their home, the highest rate in the nation. In today’s Policy Note, FiveThirtyEight discusses how the federal government’s recent expansion of housing vouchers has dramatically reduced homelessness among veterans.
In The News
Texas to withhold certain Lockett autopsy details after Oklahoma intervenes
Texas officials have agreed to keep secret certain records pertaining to the autopsy of convicted murderer Clayton Lockett, who died following Oklahoma’s botched execution attempt April 29. Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott issued an opinion Friday siding with Oklahoma officials’ contention that the release of certain information, such as records identifying the supplier of lethal-injection drugs, is confidential under Oklahoma law. However, he overruled a request by Oklahoma officials that other details of the autopsy report be kept secret.
Read more from the Tulsa World.
Tulsa couple urge U.S. Supreme Court to use Oklahoma case for nationwide decision on same-sex marriage
The Tulsa County couple who challenged Oklahoma’s ban on same-sex marriage nearly 10 years ago urged the U.S. Supreme Court on Wednesday to use the case to decide the issue for the entire nation. Mary Bishop and Sharon Baldwin, who have won favorable rulings this year from a federal judge in Tulsa and a federal appeals court, argued in a brief filed with the high court that the Oklahoma case presents an ideal vehicle for a far-reaching ruling.
No Exit: The School to Prison Pipeline
Kyron Dean perches uncomfortably on a sofa in his grandmother’s home in Del City. “Still trying to get used to being free,” he says. He was released from prison two weeks before we met, after serving 30 months for possession of marijuana with intent to distribute. “He was always a good boy. Polite,” his grandmother says. “He was raised to be respectful.” So how did he end up in prison? “It’s like they greased the chute. Back when he was in the 9th grade, Kyron got into a fight. Boys fight. Always have. No guns, no knives, just two boys tussling. Next thing I know he is locked up. That’s just crazy! It’s wrong.”
Read more from the OK Policy Blog.
Prosperity Policy: Wrong Numbers
How many Oklahomans do you think get a welfare check each month? That’s a question I often pose in conversations or during presentations when the subject of help for families in need arises. The guesses typically range from 100,000 to 1 million. The actual number is slightly more than 15,000. Less than 2,500 are single mothers. Nonetheless, the perception that Oklahoma is providing welfare checks to vast numbers of adults who should be working remains common among some politicians.
Read more from the Journal Record.
State Board of Education creates steering committee to determine process of rewriting academic standards
The Oklahoma State Board of Education on Wednesday unanimously approved the formation of a steering committee to examine and recommend a process for developing new academic standards to replace Common Core. Last month, board members split with State Superintendent Janet Barresi and voted 5-1 to table her recommendation on creating new reading and math standards for the state’s public schools. She had proposed a two-year process that would have involved a host of committees and teams.
Read more from the Tulsa World.
State education officials: Paying uncertified school employees in certified positions is “illegal expenditure”
The Oklahoma State Department of Education conducts regular compliance checks on the certification status of school employees because paying someone without a valid certificate would be an “illegal expenditure of public funds.” State Board of Education members on Wednesday were told of 10 school employees from across the state who were flagged in the most recent check, in July, and the list includes one each from the Tulsa, Jenks and Claremore districts and two from Allen Bowden, a dependent school district north of Sapulpa.
Read more from the Tulsa World.
More Oklahoma teachers enter classrooms without certification
Oklahoma has seen an explosion in the number of teachers applying for emergency classroom certification, meaning more districts are relying on teachers to teach subjects they are not fully trained for. The Oklahoma State Department of Education has received 280 applications for emergency certifications, also called exemptions, since July. That’s up from 198 last year and 99 in 2012.
Read more from Oklahoma Watch.
Residents File Class-Action Lawsuit to Block Wind Turbines Near Kingfisher
Seven landowners filed a class-action lawsuit this week to prevent wind turbines from being built near their homes in Canadian and Kingfisher counties. In the complaint, which is embedded above, the landowners claim that planned wind farm projects controlled by Virginia-based Apex Clean Energy would create a nuisance, devalue their property and adversely affect their health.
Judge to rule on whether Chesapeake stands trial
Northern Michigan judge says she’ll issue a ruling later on whether Chesapeake Energy should stand trial on racketeering charges that accuse it of leasing land to thwart competitors and then canceling the deals when the competition ended. A probable cause hearing in the criminal case against the Oklahoma City-based company began Aug. 18 and ended Wednesday in Cheboygan District Court. Judge Maria Barton says she’ll review the evidence and issue a written opinion later.
Read more from Associated Press
Oklahoma City’s unemployment rate drops
Oklahoma City’s unemployment rate — already one of the lowest in the nation among large cities — improved in July, as did the rates in more than two-thirds of the state’s counties. The Oklahoma City metro jobless rate dipped to 4.5 percent, down two-tenths of a percentage point from June, data released Wednesday by the U.S. Labor Department show.
A dental care crisis in Oklahoma
In 90-degree heat this month, Oklahomans from across the state began lining up for medical, dental or vision care, some of them arriving the day before a free clinic was scheduled to start at Oklahoma State Fair Park. I had the opportunity to stand in line with some of the more than 1,100 people who came over the weekend of Aug. 16-17. I heard their stories and learned more about a dental care access crisis in this state. The stories shared that weekend reflected the reality that only about half of Oklahomans have dental insurance benefits.
Quote of the Day
The stories shared that weekend reflected the reality that only about half of Oklahomans have dental insurance benefits. The other half must pay out-of-pocket or forgo regular care. In many cases, uninsured individuals suffer through dental pain for weeks, even months, before a free dental clinic might come to town.
-Delta Dental CEO John Gladden, describing a weekend free clinic that attracted more than 1,100 Oklahomans (Source: http://bit.ly/1tZGMbc)
Number of the Day
11 percent
Percentage of Oklahoma children who have witnessed domestic violence in their home, the highest rate in the nation.
Source: Child Trends
See previous Numbers of the Day here.
Policy Note
The Number Of Homeless Veterans Really Is Falling
The number of homeless veterans in the United States has fallen 33 percent since 2010, to just under 50,000 as of January. The number of homeless veterans sleeping in the street, as opposed to in shelters, fell even faster, down nearly 40 percent over the past four years. What’s more, it’s falling at least in large part due to government intervention. In recent years, the federal government has vastly increased spending on housing assistance for veterans, mostly in the form of direct housing vouchers.
Read more from fivethirtyeight.
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