StateImpact Oklahoma

StateImpact managing editor Logan Layden introduces us to new science and environment reporter Chloe Bennett-Steele.

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Four years ago, lawmakers passed a bill requiring all Oklahoma public schools to offer at least four Advanced Placement courses. It went into effect this fall. But, according to data analyzed by StateImpact, most schools still aren’t teaching four AP courses — and rural schools say the law has had little impact.

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Oklahoma nursing homes are working to meet federal staffing rules, which require them to have a registered nurse on site 24/7 and employees to spend a minimum amount of time with each resident every day.

Facilities say the unfunded mandate asks them to find staff they can’t afford and that doesn’t exist. Oklahoma is one of about 20 states that recently joined a lawsuit against the federal government over it.

StateImpact’s Jillian Taylor spoke with Claire Dowers-Nichols, the CEO of LeadingAge Oklahoma, which represents 58 nonprofit nursing homes.

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Oklahomans took to the polls Wednesday for the first day of early voting. Oklahoma has four early voting days this year — that's two more than in the 2020 Presidential general election.

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A growing list of Oklahoma colleges and universities are offering their workers paid parental leave. But it’s still a minority. The momentum comes after Oklahoma mandated maternity leave for state employees and teachers last year. Lawmakers say it's time for the state to intervene for higher education workers.

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Oklahoma schools use technology apps to manage everything from attendance to grades to parent communications. And now, a growing number of districts are updating hall passes to the digital age. They say the new tech is helping them curb behavioral issues that have spiked since the pandemic.

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He was 15 when he killed his sister’s abuser. Even after years of good conduct, the Oklahoma Pardon and Parole Board has rejected recommending him for release.

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As the war between Russia and Ukraine rages on, Ukrainian physicians are tending to a historic volume of patients with complex head and neck injuries from missile attacks and rocket blasts. OU Health is teaching some of these surgeons reconstructive techniques they can take back home.

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Many Southeast Oklahomans are gearing up to fight a proposed hydropower project that could displace hundreds of people. For this week's StateImpact Oklahoma in-depth, KOSU's Graycen Wheeler has more on the project and the response from residents and officials."

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Oklahoma CareerTech oversees 29 technology centers across 60 campuses statewide. It takes about 500,000 yearly enrollments and offers courses to students in about 400 school districts and adults.

And about 7,500 students are sitting on a waitlist to get in.

To tackle the waitlist, the Oklahoma Legislature allocated $26.7 million in new one-time funds for the agency this year. The money was recently disbursed to schools and is now being used across the state for facility upgrades, expanded programming and more.

CareerTech Director Brent Haken is grateful for the boost, but he cautions against considering it a windfall that would fully eliminate the waitlist. He plans to return to the legislature next year with the same pitch — that increasing base funding is the only way to fully reach the thousands of Oklahomans hoping for a spot in a CareerTech program.

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