At least 85 schools/districts would be in jeopardy of an accreditation deficiency if an @oksde rule proposal becomes law.

The rule states if more than 50% of students in a district/school score below basic on state assessments, their academic standing will take a hit. @kfor 🧵 Duke PS is a SW Oklahoma district serving 165 students right now. Per the 2022-2023 state report card, Duke High sits at 45% for overall performance. Its elementary school is at 48%.

The Duke Supt. says, "It's unfair and unjust to judge students in that fashion." @kfor 🧵

NEW: The U.S. Department of Education is now investigating @oksde's potential misuse of federal grant dollars.

We'll have more at 4:30 + 6 tonight.

I'll post more information as we get closer to those air times. @kfor 🧵 Releasing more information soon. I will say - this is a *limited* investigation. I know some are assuming this has to do with the state audit released in 2023, but this is completely separate. @kfor 🧵

OUT-OF-STATE TEACHER APPLICATIONS: The OK House of Reps. issued a subpoena to @RyanWaltersSupt in December. One of the requests was for a copy of the 950 out-of-state teacher applications @RyanWaltersSupt reportedly told a local media outlet @oksde had received since... @kfor 🧵 ...he announced the teacher sign on bonus incentive. Eligible teachers who applied *could* receive up to $50k.

The deadline to fulfill the subpoena was set for tomorrow, but @RyanWaltersSupt delivered early. @kfor 🧵

STATE TURNS DOWN $$ TO FEED TO KIDS: Oklahoma has declined to participate in this summer’s EBT program to feed children. It would’ve provided families with $40/month/kid for food. @kfor 🧵 1 in 5 Oklahoma kids currently experience food insecurity and roughly 60% rely on free or reduced lunch.

“We’re one of the worst in the nation and that’s been true for a while now,” said Hunger Free OK CEO, Chris Bernard. @kfor 🧵

NEW OSDE RULES: At yesterday's Board of Education meeting, @RyanWaltersSupt laid out three proposed rules he plans to file today. @kfor 🧵 1. Total elimination of K-12 DEI programs/jobs.
2. Teacher code of conduct update. No sexually explicit behavior in/out of the classroom.
3. Protection of religious freedom in the classroom.

So far, I haven't seen the rule language posted online. @kfor 🧵

ICYMI: OK House Republicans have subpoenaed @RyanWaltersSupt for hundreds of documents and emails. @RepMarkMcBride says he’s not looking for an “I gotcha” moment; he just wants answers + proof of the claims Walters has made. @kfor 🧵

kfor.com/news/local/the… The subpoena - which is included in full in our web article - requests emails dating back to 2020 when @RyanWaltersSupt was the Exec. Director of Every Kid Counts.

A state audit from this year accuses him of mismanaging millions of dollars while in that position. @kfor 🧵

BREAKING: The first lawsuit involving the alleged abuses at the Greer Center in Enid has just been filed. It accuses employees of playing a “choke and revive game” with patients. The lawsuit says wet towels or bed sheets would be used to strangle patients… @kfor 🧵 …until they passed out. To wake them up, employees would allegedly hit them in the chest repeatedly. The lawsuit also claims Greer Center employees would entice patients to fight each other with food from outside the facility. @kfor 🧵

SECLUSION ROOMS - @kfor first started investigating Oklahoma's seclusion room policy a month ago after a Ponca City Public Schools mom said she wasn't notified her 4yo son was put in a "closet" for misbehaving. Turns out, the district calls it a "seclusion room." @kfor 🧵 Here are the links to our original stories:
+ @kfor 🧵kfor.com/news/local/pon…
kfor.com/news/local/vid…

HEADING TO TULSA: There’s been yet another bomb threat at Ellen Ochoa Elementary because of a social media post made by a librarian. The video circulating is taken out of context as her caption fails to appear in most reposts. @kfor 🧵 The video was reposted by @RyanWaltersSupt yesterday saying in part, “Woke ideology is real and I’m here to stop it.” What we fail to see in the reposted video is her caption saying her “radical liberal agenda” is “teaching kids to love books and be kind.” @kfor 🧵

PORN IN SCHOOLS: @kfor filed an open records request with @oksde 130 days ago. We asked which school sites had "pornographic" material, which books were deemed inappropriate, how many of those books were found, etc.

As of Sunday afternoon, there is no list in existence. @kfor 🧵 @kfor @oksde @oksde's response: "The Department does not maintain a list responsive to your request."

Our request was also not "completed" by the department's Open Records Coordinator, but instead their Chief Policy Advisor. @kfor 🧵

UPDATE: I just spoke with the State Fire Marshal's Office. They received a citizen's complaint over the phone last week about overcrowding at @oksde board meetings. SFMO looked at the board room + established a max of 49 people. @kfor 🧵

https://twitter.com/kayleeolivastv/status/1684253452040372224

They also say the hallway leading into the board room is about 8 ft. wide so people can't be "bunched up." There will be a line of chairs against the west wall of the hall for people to sit in. Those in the hall *must* sit in them. @kfor 🧵

@kfor and I have filed Open Records Requests with the Okmulgee Sheriff’s Office. One for Jesse McFadden’s home compliance checks (which we got on May 11) and another for his 90-day self-check-ins.

We have not received records on the self-check-ins, so we asked why. 🧵 It’s hard to hear, but what the Okmulgee Co. Sheriff’s Office receptionist tells me is she has been instructed to refer all those requests to the DA’s Office. I asked how is it that I’m able to get part of my request, but not the other. She claimed no one there could answer. 🧵

TONIGHT AT 6: For months, State Supt. Ryan Walters has claimed pornography is running rampant through Oklahoma schools, but an @oksde spokesman refused to provide News 4 with a list specifying which schools had pornography on their shelves @kfor 🧵 @oksde @kfor Five school districts were mentioned. We've received responses from four of them. They all deny @oksde's claims, saying they haven't received a recent formal complaint. On top of that, each one says Supt. Walters has not visited their district or even spoken with them. @kfor🧵

NEW: Court records show Kody misused county funds to fuel up his personal vehicle despite being given a monthly $700 stipend as reimbursement for his mileage.

A warrant for his arrest was issued on Friday. He hasn’t been arrested yet.

We’ll have more tonight at 6. @kfor

https://twitter.com/kayleeolivastv/status/1639429935356936194

UPDATE: Kody is scheduled for an arraignment at 1:30. @kfor