Evening activites cancelled for Oklahoma City Public Schools
From district spokeswoman Tierney Tinnin: “All night classes and athletic events have been cancelled for tonight due to inclement weather.”
Oklahoma City Public Schools postpones town hall meeting
The Oklahoma City Public Schools town hall meeting scheduled for Tuesday night at Capitol Hill High School has been postponed, a district spokeswoman said Tuesday morning.
The meeting is postponed because of snowy weather, the district’s school board elections and the president’s State of the Union address, spokeswoman Tierney Tinnin said.
In addition to the Capitol Hill meeting, one more meeting is scheduled for the community to discuss issues with district leaders:
Oklahoma City Public Schools will continue its series of public town hall meetings during the spring semester. Superintendent Karl Springer will lead discussions about topics ranging from reading to bullying to safety. Four meetings are planned: 6 to 7 p.m. Tuesday at Northeast Academy, 3100 N Kelley; 6 to 7 p.m. Jan. 29 at Rogers Middle School, 4000 N Spencer Road; 7 to 8 p.m. Feb. 12 at, Capitol Hill High School, 500 SE 36; and 6 to 7 p.m. March 5 at Classen School of Advanced Studies, 1901 N Ellison. For more information, call 587-0000, or go to www.okcps.org.
Oklahoma Commission on School Security will meet Feb. 5
An agenda has been released for the second meeting of the Oklahoma Commission on School Security. You can read about the first meeting here.
State Capitol Building, Room 419-C
February 5, 2013
1:30 p.m.AGENDA
Welcome Lt. Governor Todd Lamb
Opening Remarks Lt. Governor Todd Lamb
Presentations
· Stephen Mortensen
Vice President
Providence Working Canines, Inc.o Q&A
· Terri White
Commissioner,
Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Serviceso Q&A
· Commission Member Reports Lt. Governor Todd Lamb
· Open Discussion/Conclusion Lt. Governor Todd Lamb
100 days of school as 100-year-old students
How can you celebrate 100 days of school?
By dressing like you’re 100 years old! Look at these adorable cuties from Nichols Hills Elementary. They celebrated the 100th day of school, which was yesterday for Oklahoma City Public Schools, by dressing up as 100-year-old ladies. Schools throughout the district celebrated the 100-day mark yesterday. Today, Putnam City Schools hits 100 days.
Full statement from OKCPS on Cynthia Barchue
This is the full statement released Thursday night from Oklahoma City Public Schools Superintendent Karl Springer:
The Oklahoma City Public School District was informed on Thursday by the Oklahoma State Attorney General’s office that Cynthia Barchue, Greystone Upper Elementary School principal, will be arrested on charges of Medicaid fraud on Friday. The district’s own internal investigation led us to contact the Attorney General’s office in the spring of 2011. We immediately turned our records over to the Attorney General at that time and Friday’s arrests are a result of that investigation.
We take any allegation of wrongdoing seriously, and we applaud the Attorney General’s office for their work on this case. I can assure you, we will not tolerate any unethical or illegal practices as prohibited by Oklahoma and Federal law. In the case of Cynthia Barchue, all documents conducted in the internal investigation were turned over to the Attorney General and are being used as evidence in the case against Mrs. Barchue. OKCPS could not previously take disciplinary action against Mrs. Barchue because it would have jeopardized the federal prosecutor’s case.
It is my commitment to the parents, students and constituents of Oklahoma City Public Schools that I have and will continue to report and cooperate with all necessary agencies on wrongdoings uncovered in the district.
National PTA weighs in on guns
National PTA President Betsy Landers released this statemetn in light of the shooting at a high school in California:
National PTA is deeply saddened to hear of a second school shooting only weeks following the tragedy in Newtown, Conn. The Association extends its sympathies to the students and families affected by the shooting yesterday morning at Taft Union High School in Taft, Calif.
National PTA has a strong history of advocating for the safety of children in schools, including gun violence prevention. As it relates to this issue, the top three priorities of the National PTA are securing:
Universal background checks for the sale and possession of firearms;
A ban on non-sporting ammunition in high-capacity magazines; and
The reenactment and expansion of an effective federal ban on the sale and possession of military-style assault weapons.National PTA is hopeful that these two recent tragedies will persuade the nation—especially parents, teachers, school officials, community leaders, and Congress—to make meaningful changes to protect all children and ensure a safe learning environment.
To assist students, families, schools and PTAs coping with school violence, National PTA has resources available for download at PTA.org/SchoolViolence.
Oklahoma school safety forum set for Saturday
Here’s more information from the state House of Representatives:
OKLAHOMA CITY – State Rep. Joe Dorman said today he would like to see more educators RSVP to a 2 p.m. Saturday meeting in Rush Springs to discuss how lawmakers should move forward on addressing school safety in light of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting in Connecticut and shooting at Taft Union High School in California.
Dorman said with the two shootings happening close together and an incident in Bartlesville where a would-be shooter was apprehended, he would like to see more educators step up and become involved in the discussion.
“I would hope that any educator who is paying attention to the news these days is becoming concerned and would want to participate in Saturday’s discussion,” said Dorman, D-Rush Springs. “We cannot ignore the dangers our students and educators face. I have only received RSVPs from a handful of educators and am frankly disappointed. Among the proposals we will discuss is one that I have suggested, which is to give communities the option to fund safety measures with money raised in local bond elections. Other lawmakers have proposed allowing teachers to carry firearms. It will be the input we receive that determines how we move forward. This is an opportunity for educators to give their input and I hope we will have a large turnout.”
Due to space limitations, only teachers, school administrators and school board members are invited to attend the Saturday discussion at the Rush Springs High School auditorium, Dorman said.
To RSVP, e-mail Joe.Dorman@okhouse.gov
Martin Luther King Jr. Elementary girls running club in Oklahoma City
Oklahoma City School Board sets meetings for 2013
It’s nearly 2013 – when did that happen? – so that means it’s time to mark our calenders for a year’s worth of meetings. Here is the schedule for the Oklahoma City School Board.
- Jan. 7
- Jan. 22
- Feb. 4
- Feb. 18
- March 4
- April 1
- April 15
- May 6
- June 3
- June 17
- July 1
- July 15
- Aug. 5
- Aug. 19
- Sept. 3
- Sept. 16
- Oct. 7
- Oct. 21
- Nov. 4
- Nov. 18
- Dec. 9
All meets are at 5:30 p.m. at the district administration building, 900 N Klein.
State rep responds to uproar after his proposal to arm teachers
Here’s something Rep. Mark McCullough wrote up:
By now, many of you have heard of my proposal to allow CLEET (Council on Law Enforcement Education and Training) certified teachers, acting as fully sworn reserve officers, to carry (concealed) firearms on school campuses. This was not a knee jerk proposal; Connecticut was just the catalyst. I have been considering solutions to the vulnerability of our schools for some time. It’s just that I happen to be in a position to give voice to the thousands of other parents who share my concerns about school safety.
The purpose of the proposal, though controversial, is fairly obvious: harden the soft targets that are our schools and protect our children from a Connecticut style massacre. The bottom line is, when a mad man walks into a school to kill children, he should be stopped with the use of deadly force. Devotion to a policy that prohibits this possibility is a luxury that I will not – indeed cannot – indulge in. The glaring ineffectiveness of the gun-free zone is now, tragically, self-evident.
So the next step is: what is to be done? Some have suggested allowing teachers and administrators, with a concealed carry permit, to simply carry on campus. An obvious, and likely best, solution would be to fund police officers for every campus. Others would simply suggest enhanced static security, like buzzer doors or better “lock down” procedures. Although I would welcome more static security, I believe the best option is to put trained, qualified personnel in place to respond to a violent threat.
CLEET certification of teachers and principals has much to recommend it. We have the mechanism in place right now: local CLEET reserve officer training. It’s a six-week course. (I’ve already had initial discussions on even tailoring the training to this exact scenario). The volunteers would likely come out of the woodwork. The cost would be comparatively low to hiring several thousand “resource” officers. The State would pick up the tab for the initial training with no ongoing cost to the schools. The money to fund resource officers would not “dry up” down the road when the Legislature faces a budget problem. The turn around time would be fast: we could have hundreds of trained teachers and principals protecting our schools by the fall. There would be no conflict with existing state or federal law prohibiting persons from carrying a weapon on campus because the volunteers would be sworn officers. In a word, it’s workable.
Having said that, I’m not committed to just one solution. Just before writing this, I attended a meeting of Sapulpa Schools’ Community Advisory Committee at the thoughtful invitation of the Chairwoman Stacy Berry. Superintendent Kevin Burr (an opponent of my idea – and my friend), the other parents, and myself all sat down and had a very good, very serious talk about the issue of school security. As we should in all our communities, we had a civil, productive discussion. We talked hard solutions. We may have our differences on how to get there, but I am confident, in this town and in this State, we will make the decisions necessary to protect our children. Period.
