Here are excerpts from recent editorials in Oklahoma newspapers:
Tulsa World. July 15, 2017.
For many children, school is the only reliable source of good food, and some of those same children have parents who can’t, or won’t, reliably fund their cafeteria accounts, which puts the school cafeterias in a modest financial pinch.
Financing food for hungry students has been a matter of recent controversy with some districts taking actions that embarrass students whose parents haven’t tended to unpaid cafeteria accounts - “lunch shaming.”
Some schools have stamped the hands of children who owe lunch money. Others have taken away hot meals and replaced them with cold sandwiches.
Tulsa Public Schools has a charge limit of $8.40, and when students near that balance, cafeteria workers are instructed to notify parents or guardians without embarrassing the children. Eligible parents are encouraged to complete a free and reduced-cost meal application.
TPS can offer an alternative meal for students whose meal charges are over the $8.40 limit, but as a matter of practice, cafeteria workers usually provide those students regular hot meals, TPS Child Nutrition Services Director Kit Hines told the Tulsa World’s Arianna Pickard.
A recent change in state policy allows school districts to carry over unpaid lunch accounts from one school year to the next, but the district has decided that any balances that can’t be handled through federal funding or charitable contributions will be written off.
We salute Tulsa’s First Christian Church, which gave TPS $2,885 this spring to cover unpaid balances.
First Christian Church associate minister the Rev. Cassie Sexton-Riggs explained to Pickard that education is the stepping stone out of poverty. And a hungry child is not going to be a good learner.
It is unspeakably sad that in the richest nation on Earth some public school students are facing hunger. TPS should continue its effort to make sure children whose parents can’t, or don’t, provide their lunch money aren’t victimized again by cruel cafeteria policies.
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Enid News & Eagle. July 17, 2017.
Oklahoma takes a lot of flak nationally for various indicators that rank us near the bottom of the country in a variety of areas.
One, though, that’s never been an issue is Oklahoma’s pre-K program, which long has been held up as one of the best in the United States.
Unfortunately, the state’s budget situation has put the program in a bit of a tight spot. An unintended consequence in a law that became effective last year has allowed school districts to bypass the state rule that pre-K classes be limited to 20 students.
As a way to make budget cuts, some districts have increased pre-K class sizes. They are doing that under a law that waives financial penalties for school districts with accreditation deficiencies. The law was intended to ensure school districts received the maximum amount of state funding during tough times, but it effectively allowed schools to disregard many regulations.
Oklahoma’s pre-K program receives high marks for access and its high-quality standards. The program is optional, but is free and available to all eligible children. According to National Institute for Early Education Research at Rutgers University, three-quarters of eligible children in Oklahoma attend pre-K, ranking the state third in the country.
Class size is important, especially for younger students - particularly in pre-K and kindergarten. Children at that age are in a classroom setting for the first time. They’ve got to learn how to be in school, how to act in a school setting, in addition to setting a good foundation for reading and math skills they will develop later.
We don’t envy school administrators, who are dealing with some serious funding issues. They’ve got to make some tough decisions and do what they think is best for their districts.
In one respect we like that. We like that the decisions are being made at the local level. School board members and administrators are the best judges of what works for their districts.
However, we would hate to see these young children put at any disadvantage because there are too many students in class.
Unfortunately, until Oklahoma’s revenue situation straightens out and lawmakers make sure education is funded properly, we’re going to continue to see administrators forced to make unpopular decisions.
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The Oklahoman. July 17, 2017.
Oklahomans are expected to vote on an initiative to legalize medical marijuana next year. Rep. John Paul Jordan, R-Yukon, has requested that lawmakers study the possible policy implications of that vote.
That’s a good idea, and it’s welcome news that lawmakers are thinking ahead on this issue.
In his study request, Jordan said lawmakers should review whether any “policies and procedures need to be put in place” prior to a public vote on the proposal in case of its passage. He wants lawmakers to review the practices other states have adopted, including licensing structure.
“This study is not to debate the merits of SQ 788 as that will be decided by the voters,” Jordan wrote. He said the study’s “main job is to determine what action (if any) is needed prior to the vote.”
One issue lawmakers should review is the impact of marijuana legalization on public safety, a potential challenge highlighted by a recent report from Washington state.
The AAA Foundation for Public Safety has examined the rates of cannabis use among Washington drivers suspected of driving under the influence or who were involved in collisions.
In 2012, Washington voters approved Initiative 502, legalizing recreational use of marijuana. Even before passage of that measure, drug use among drivers was a problem. But passage of the marijuana law didn’t improve things, as can be seen in the prevalence of tetrahydrocannabinol, the principal psychoactive component in marijuana, detected in Washington drivers via blood tests.
“Analysis of trends over time before and after Initiative 502 took effect indicate that the proportion of drivers positive for THC was generally flat before Initiative 502, but began increasing significantly approximately 9 months after the effective date of Initiative 502,” AAA reported.
The report found that 10 percent of all drivers involved in fatal crashes in Washington between 2010 and 2014 had detectable THC in their blood at the time of the crash. Most notably, both the raw number and proportion of impaired drivers doubled from 2013 to 2014, increasing from 8.3 percent in 2013 to 17 percent in 2014.
AAA found that between 2005 and 2014, the proportion of DUI and collision cases where drivers tested positive for THC, excluding those positive for alcohol, increased from 20 percent to 30 percent. The prevalence of THC among drivers “continued to grow” after passage of the marijuana measure in 2012, AAA reports.
“These findings indicate that THC-involved driving is relatively common, appears to be increasing and is likely underestimated given the generally protracted time until a blood specimen is obtained,” AAA reported.
Some may object that Washington legalized recreational use of marijuana and Oklahomans will consider only “medical” use. In practice, that has often been a difference with little distinction. Medical marijuana laws are often so broadly written that few people are barred from using the drug.
Washington’s experience suggests Oklahoma may need to significantly increase funding for police and highway patrol to better target impaired drivers if the marijuana measures passes, and that there will be other fiscal and societal costs created by those reckless drivers.
That’s information lawmakers, and voters, should take into account before next year’s election.
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