Originally built to withstand explosive devices and rocket-propelled grenade attacks, the armored vehicle was now patrolling an American city, where peaceful protests against police brutality were being staged. 

“It is strictly a defensive vehicle that our swat team members can use to … protect them from gunfire,” said Canadian County Sheriff Chris West, whose department operates two mine-resistant ambush protected vehicles, one of which was brought to the Oklahoma County jail during protests this summer. 

The Canadian County Sheriff’s Office has two of 27 mine-resistant vehicles in Oklahoma that have been obtained through a federal program that funnels used military equipment to local law enforcement agencies. 

But while these vehicles provide protection from gunfire and explosives, along with providing law enforcement with an intimidating display of force, they are just as often used for parades and community events, according to records obtained by The Frontier. 

Since 2014, the Canadian County Sheriff’s Office has used its two mine resistant vehicles a combined 106 times, according to usage logs obtained by The Frontier through an open records request. 

Forty-four percent of its use was for an official action, such as a “warrant service” or “tac team call out,” according to a usage log. 

The rest of the time the vehicles were used at a public event, such as a parade, conducting a training exercise or out of repair. 

On May 31, the day of a peaceful protest against police brutality that included a march from the state Capitol to downtown Oklahoma City, the usage log for Canadian County’s mine-resistant vehicles listed “riots” as the nature of the response.  

The Bixby Police Department, which serves a city of 27,000, received a mine-resistant vehicle through the federal program in 2014. Since then, it has used it to respond to seven official calls, such as serving a “high risk warrant,” according to travel logs. 

Above is a list of all military equipment received by Oklahoma law enforcement agencies through the 1033 program.

Twenty times it was used for a community event, including the Bixby Christmas Parade. 

Bixby Police Chief Andy Choate told The Frontier he believed getting a chance to use the vehicle at community events is a great way to interact with the public.

“I see it as a positive,” Choate said.

In Bartlesville, the police department used its vehicle 22 times since 2014, according to the department’s deployment log. 

On July 16, 2014, it was used to execute a search warrant for a suspect believed to have explosives and “armed posted guards,” according to the travel log. 

On Oct. 9, 2018, the vehicle was also used to transport police officers to a firing range that required driving across a flooded bridge. 

Two-thirds of the time the vehicle was used for community events, including an Easter egg hunt at the park. 

However, most law enforcement agencies with a mine resistant vehicle told The Frontier they do not keep usage logs, once a requirement that President Donald Trump ended in 2017. 

In Warr Acres, a city of 10,301 residents, Police Chief R.L. Patty said his department doesn’t keep usage logs, but told The Frontier it has been used three times since it was received in 2018, which includes two times this summer in response to protests in Oklahoma City.

Referred to as the LESO or 1033 program, the Department of Defense transfers excess federal property to state and local law enforcement agencies. 

Since 2010, Oklahoma agencies have received more than $27.3 million worth of equipment, including firearms, trucks, aircraft and body armor. 

The value of mine-resistant vehicles distributed to Oklahoma agencies is more than $20 million, according to federal records. 

U.S. Sen. Jim Inhofe, R-Oklahoma, who has been active in increasing law enforcement access to the LESO program, called it a “no brainer.” 

“It’s stuff that otherwise is going to go to West Africa or someplace else, and we don’t want that to happen when we have the need right here in Oklahoma,” Inhofe said.

The use of military equipment by local police has received increased attention in recent years as police respond to protests and demonstrations across the country.

“We’ve seen how militarized gear can sometimes give people a feeling like there’s an occupying force, as opposed to a force that’s part of the community that’s protecting them and serving them,” President Barack Obama said during a 2015 speech.

Following protests the previous year in Ferguson, Missouri, the Obama administration set restrictions on the use of some military equipment, including grenade launchers and bayonets.

But Trump has removed those restrictions.

“These restrictions went too far,” said Jeff Sessions, Trump’s former attorney general, announcing the reversal to a crowd of police officers in 2017. “We will not put superficial concerns above public safety.”

The post Mine resistant vehicles more parade float than an enforcement tool appeared first on The Frontier.

She’s put up strong opposition to much of President Joe Biden’s first-term agenda, including a vote against his signature infrastructure bill earlier this month.  

“It’s been like no other freshman class, I think,” said Bice, R-OK5, during an interview with The Frontier in her downtown Oklahoma City office.

The coronavirus pandemic made in-person meetings a challenge during Bice’s first months in office, which made it hard to build relationships, she said. 

With such a close margin between the parties in both the U.S. House and Senate, Bice said she hoped there would be more bipartisan collaboration. 

“But that hasn’t been the case,” Bice said. 

Bice has worked on a handful of bipartisan efforts over the past year, including a bill that seeks to provide injured national guardsmen access to medical care through the Department of Veterans Affairs. 

But she has also been a staunch opponent to Biden’s agenda and even his presidency. 

Bice voted against the certification of election results on Jan. 6, the same day a pro-Trump mob stormed the U.S. Capitol. 

She has also traveled to the U.S.-Mexico border to highlight an immigration crisis she blames on the president. Bice told The Frontier she plans to look at ways to help property owners along the border access funding to repair damage caused by migrants. 

Earlier this month, Bice voted against Biden’s infrastructure bill that will send nearly $5 billion to Oklahoma to repair roads and bridges, increase rail service and expand rural broadband. 

Bice objected to the bill’s $1 trillion price tag but also believed it included a large amount of non-infrastructure projects and others that would have little impact on Oklahoma. 

“There were a lot of things that were sort of climate or clean energy based, and certainly I recognize that we want to be mindful of the environment, but spending a lot of resources on that particular issue, I think, is a concern,” Bice told The Frontier. 

The infrastructure bill includes $66 billion for passenger rail that could help expand Amtrak’s Heartland Flyer line from Oklahoma north into Kansas.

But Bice said the federal government has already given out a lot of funding for transit as part of covid-relief packages. 

“I recognize that may be a need, but that doesn’t benefit Oklahoma, we have very limited Amtrak capacity here,” she said. “I wanted to see true infrastructure.”

Bice also criticized the bill’s nearly $256 billion addition to the national debt — a figure based on estimates from the Congressional Budget Office. 

Republicans, before Bice’s time in office, made their own contribution to the national debt through a major tax decrease. 

Bice said she is unsure if she would reject proposals for future tax breaks if it also meant billions in new national debt.

“I don’t know because you have to see what the package looks like,” Bice said. “I just want to be mindful that we are not growing the debt in a way that is going to harm us long term.”

Bice won her seat in 2020 by a four-point margin over incumbent Kendra Horn, a Democrat, who herself won by a slim margin in 2018.

Bice has already drawn one challenger – Democrat Abby Broyles. 

But she enters a reelection fight with a 5th district map that will be much friendlier after the Republican-controlled state Legislatures redrew the lines in a way that removed a significant number of Democratic-leaning neighborhoods that voted. 

The boundaries of Bice’s future district, which now await Gov. Kevin Stitt’s approval after a special legislative session, pick up portions of Lincoln and Logan counties, along with parts of Canadian County, an area that she previously represented as a state senator. 

“I think the (state) Legislature took into account all of the different aspects of redrawing the map. They did the job they were tasked to do,” Bice said. 

Earlier this year, Bice was appointed to the newly formed House Select Committee on Economic Disparity and Fairness in Growth.  She said she hopes to use her seat to highlight ways to provide more employment opportunities. 

The Democrat-majority committee is expected to look at ways to create more economic parity, especially as some members have complained about the amount of wealth a small number of Americans have accumulated in recent years. 

“I fear that some of the members of this committee may want to look at economic equality in some shape or form,” Bice said. “I’m going to push for growing education opportunities, particularly when it comes to connecting private sectors to programs like career tech.” 

The post It’s been a first year ‘like no other’ for Rep. Stephanie Bice, who opposed much of Biden’s agenda appeared first on The Frontier.

House Bill 1775 has sometimes been called a ban on teaching critical race theory, the idea that racism is not just a result of individual prejudice but also ingrained in systems, such as housing policies and the criminal justice system. Critical race theory isn’t explicitly mentioned in the bill. 

But Walters acknowledged the concept’s role in the new law. 

“We were one of the first states in the country to ban the concepts of critical race theory,” said Walters, drawing applause from the parents packed into a small Edmond church sanctuary, including from Rep. Kevin West, R-Moore, the House author of the bill. 

Republicans flipped the governor’s seat in Virginia earlier this month, where a large number of voters were most concerned with critical race theory, according to exit polls from the Associated Press. In Oklahoma, candidates are tapping into a new spirit of education activism among conservatives that has already altered elections in other states and could impact races here next year.  

Fifty-eight percent of Oklahoma voters surveyed by conservative pollster Cole Hargrave Snodgrass & Associates said they were opposed to critical race theory teachings in public schools. 

In interpreting the polling data, Pat McFerron, president of the firm, wrote that critical race theory “spells trouble for Democratic candidates.” 

Next year’s gubernatorial election is shaping up to be between Stitt and State Superintendent Joy Hofmeister, who recently converted to the Democratic Party in hopes of winning its nomination. 

Hofmeister called HB 1775 a “recipe for problems” in a recent interview with The Frontier, and criticized lawmakers for rushing it through without consulting educators.

Stitt’s campaign has been mostly silent about Hofmeister’s candidacy and her criticisms of his education policies.

“Gov. Stitt is not running against Joy, she has to first earn the trust and support of her new party and garner her endorsement to be in the general,” said Donelle Harder, Stitt’s campaign spokesperson. 

Stitt said history lessons should include tough conversations about past racism but that HB 1775 was necessary because some teaching on race and gender is dividing students.

“We can and should teach this history without labeling a young child as an oppressor,” Stitt said after signing the bill this year. 

Whether the issue remains relevant in a gubernatorial election still a year away could depend on if similar legislation is brought forward next legislative session and what the state Board of Education, which Hofmeister is a member of, does in the coming weeks to finalize new school rules required by HB 1775. 

In a statement to The Frontier, Hofmeister said she would vote in favor of the new rules. 

“Let’s be clear. I am opposed to critical race theory in schools and the adoption of any radical political agenda as part of the K-12 curriculum,” Hofmeister said.  “I’m focused now, where I’ve always been, on raising academic outcomes and preparing Oklahoma’s children for the future. Of course I anticipate voting in favor of rules that would uphold the law.”

Linda Murphy, the state GOP’s education committee chair, said she isn’t sure how big an issue critical race theory will be going forward after the passage of HB 1775. 

“I think it was (a major issue) until the bill passed but now there is an assurance to parents that this won’t be in our schools,” Murphy told The Frontier. 

Themes of critical race theory are not just bubbling at the state level but also in local school board races. 

Kendra Wesson, a volunteer with the conservative group School Boards 4 Kids, believes universities are indoctrinating teachers with views on critical race theory and encouraging students to use their preferred pronouns. 

“These freshly indoctrinated teachers are now spreading their beliefs to our children,” Wesson told the crowd at the Edmond forum. 

Amiee Drake, a mother of three school-age children in Edmond, said she isn’t sure who will get her vote for governor next year. 

But she said critical race theory isn’t an issue she’s concerned about. 

“We probably need to have more frank conversations about race in school,” said Drake, who is white. “But I’m more concerned about getting more funding in the classroom and supporting public (schools).”

The post The debate over what schools teach about race could sway Oklahoma elections appeared first on The Frontier.

I joined The Frontier two years ago because I knew it was an organization that would allow me — and even push me — to go the extra mile. 

What does going the extra mile look like?

It’s asking for government records and fighting like hell when the request is initially denied.

It’s following up with more sources, even when the story feels complete. 

It’s driving through the night to get to a town in the Oklahoma Panhandle by morning, because the story will be better with boots on the ground. 

Too often, modern-day journalism fails to go the extra mile. At The Frontier, going the extra mile is our mantra. 

I was warned not to leave the state’s largest daily newspaper for a scrappy online publication. You’ll lose your audience, there won’t be any impact, many people won’t return your calls. 

In reality, The Frontier has become a force for impact journalism. Our stories shake the old limestone walls of the Oklahoma Capitol, drive policy and change lives. 

It’s true we don’t always get our phone calls returned. But in a newsroom culture where going the extra mile is expected, we are never short on getting the facts and evidence to back up our reporting. 

But going the extra mile can be a costly affair. That’s why the support of our readers is critical. When you donate to The Frontier, you don’t just support our work. You join in on it. 

We are an independent news organization, but we are also partners with our readers. Because readers like you make our work possible. 

My pledge to you is to continue going the extra mile. My ask is that you continue to make that possible. 

Thanks to NewsMatch, individual donations to The Frontier between Nov. 1 and December 31 will be matched by a coalition of national funders.

The campaign has helped raise more than $150 million for nonprofit newsrooms since 2016.

Donate today.

The post Help The Frontier fund the ‘extra mile’ appeared first on The Frontier.

After converting to a Democrat and announcing a run for governor, Hofmeister is taking a centrist approach to many key policy issues, including abortion rights, taxation and teaching about race in schools.

During a Thursday interview with The Frontier, the two-term state superintendent of public instruction and former lifelong Republican said she was motivated to switch parties because she disagrees with many of Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt’s policies. 

“It became very clear to me that I no longer identify with Gov. Stitt’s Republican party,” she said. 

But she insists that she has not changed her beliefs. 

While Stitt said he would sign any anti-abortion bill that crosses his desk, Hofmeister said there are limits to what legislation she would approve, although she calls herself pro-life.  

“This is a decision that is personal and one between a woman, her doctor and her faith,” Hofmeister told The Frontier. 

Hofmeister criticized bills Stitt signed that courts later declared unconstitutional. The bills include two new abortion laws an Oklahoma County judge struck down this month that banned abortions if a fetal heartbeat is detected and declared abortion “unprofessional conduct” for doctors. 

Another bill Stitt approved earlier this year bans certain teachings on race and gender and was motivated by conservative backlash to critical race theory. Hofmeister said the legislation was rushed and educators in the state were never consulted, making it a “recipe for problems.” 

Hofmeister would not say if she favors raising taxes to increase funding for education and calls herself “fiscally very conservative.” However, she praised a 2018 tax increase that funded a pay raise for teachers in the state. Stitt objected to the tax increase when he ran for governor in 2018, although it was enacted by a Republican-controlled Legislature and governor

Stitt has made a big issue of the 2020 McGirt U.S. Supreme Court ruling, which held that Native American reservations in Oklahoma were never disestablished and that the state does not have jurisdiction over many crimes committed on tribal lands. The governor has called the decision a disaster and warned it could lead to a further erosion of state sovereignty on matters of taxation and property rights. 

Hofmeister didn’t say whether she agreed with the court’s decision, but she accused the governor of making it a political issue. 

“I think Gov. Stitt is using this to create chaos and it is a politically charged area that divides,” Hofmeister said.  

She vowed to work closely with tribal leaders if Oklahomans elect her in the 2022 gubernatorial race.

 “That is the perfect example of why he needs to be challenged and why I am running against him,” she said. 

‘I believe in the big tent’

Hofmeister’s decision to switch political parties allows her to campaign for an entire year before the general election if she wins the Democratic nomination instead of focusing on a Republican primary in June that is likely to bring out some of the state’s most conservative voters — a base where Stitt remains popular.

Oklahoma’s political environment is challenging for Democrats but some in the party believe Hofmeister might be the right candidate to appeal to moderate Republicans willing to cross party lines. 

“I think she gives Republicans permission to consider voting for a Democrat,” said Alicia Andrews, chairwoman of the Oklahoma Democratic Party. 

When Andrews heard Hofmeister was going to switch parties, her first question was, “Is she running as a real Democrat or is she looking for the path of least resistance?”

After talking with Hofmeister, and observing her recent political moves, Andrews is convinced the party switch is real, even if she didn’t end up embracing a progressive platform like former state senator Connie Johnson, who is also running for the Democratic nomination.

“I believe in the big tent, so talking about non negotiable (positions) is not a language that I speak,” Andrews told The Frontier. “That’s what I think is great about this primary, there is absolutely a choice and it is a clear choice.”

Hofmesiter had support from 34 percent of Democrats, compared to just 13 percent for Johnson in a recent poll by Amber Integrated.

The same poll showed Stitt had a 16-point lead over Hofmeister.

While Hofmeister switched to the Democratic party, Stitt’s campaign pointed out that more Oklahomans have leaned to the right in recent years. 

“Gov. Kevin Stitt is the most popular elected official in the state because he continues to demonstrate that he is a political outsider and that he is focused on making common-sense decisions for the next generation and not the next election,” Stitt’s campaign manager Donelle Harder said in a statement. “If you need more evidence that his Oklahoma Turnaround is working, more than 100,000 Oklahomans have changed their registration to join the Republican Party since Governor Stitt took office, while 80,000 have left the Democratic party.”

Hofmeister launched her campaign with an argument that Stitt’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic has failed the state and he hasn’t been a strong advocate for public schools — an issue some Republicans say is enough for them to support a Democrat. 

“I supported Kevin Stitt but I feel like he hasn’t been for public education, like when he pushed for private (school) vouchers,” said Jenny Kirkland, a mother of three children in Jenks.

Kirkland, who is a registered Republican, said she realizes Hofmeister’s switch to the Democratic party might mean she won’t agree with every policy issue she takes up. But she also believes Hofmeister’s recent status as a Republican will make some conservative voters feel better about supporting her. 

“People will feel that connection to her and hopefully relate to her,” Kirkland said. “I am still a Republican and I am not changing my party. (Hofmeister) is just choosing the best platform for her to run for governor.”

Stitt’s campaign responded to Hofmeister’s candidacy by calling attention to this year’s increase in school funding, along with a teacher pay raise enacted during his first year in office. 

Hofmeister said she hopes voters will consider the candidate over party, as she has done in recent years. 

Hofmeister voted for Donald Trump in 2016 but not in 2020, she told The Frontier. In the 2018 gubernatorial race, she voted for Democrat Drew Edmondson, another self-described moderate. 

“I feel like we put moderate Democrats up there every single time but I think Joy is a very unique situation,” said Rep. Monroe Nichols, D-Tulsa. “I firmly believe that there are a lot of Republicans out there who want an alternative and maybe Joy flipping gives some Republicans the chance to feel better supporting a Democrat.”

The Frontier is a nonprofit journalism outlet located in Tulsa and Oklahoma City. To help support our mission, consider becoming a recurring donor. To order merchandise, click here. Thank you for your support.

The post Hofmeister is running as a Democrat. Would she govern like one? appeared first on The Frontier.

Listen Frontier host Ben Felder and Frontier editor Dylan Goforth discuss what happened in Julius Jones’ commutation case this week, as well as what comes next as the state attempts to start executions again.

This is Listen Frontier, a podcast exploring the investigative journalism of The Frontier and featuring conversations with those on the frontlines of Oklahoma’s most important stories. Listen to us Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and Stitcher.

To donate to The Frontier and help support our efforts to grow investigative journalism in Oklahoma, click here.

The post Listen Frontier: Board recommends Julius Jones have his sentence commuted. What comes next? appeared first on The Frontier.

James Thomas Duncan saved every penny he had, was loyal to Chevy trucks and served his country in Vietnam, a fight he continued even when he returned to the home front. 

On Feb. 17, 2021, the west Tulsa native died from COVID-19. He was 70. 

“He loved us deeply, in his way,” said Melissa Provenzano, Duncan’s daughter and a member of the Oklahoma House of Representatives. 

Provenzano said her father was a quiet man who didn’t always outwardly express his affection for his family, a common trait for people affected by war. After his death, Provenzano was reminded of how proud her father truly was. 

“I was cleaning his house and came across my State Representative business card in his wallet,” she said. “On the back, he’d written ‘This is my daughter.’ It hit me like a ton of bricks.”

Duncan always preferred to work on his truck himself, until the day came that “the truck was more computer than truck” and he had to let someone else under the hood, Provenzano said. 

He was also a hunter who later pivoted to fishing, which he said was more of an even fight. 

Duncan enlisted in the U.S. Army in 1971 and served in the 31st Field Artillery Regiment, according to his obituary.  

Shortly after getting married, Duncan was sent to the Vietnam War. 

“He was proud of his time in the service, but it also cost him in many ways, primarily his health and his family life,” Provenzano said.

Duncan and Provenzano’s mother divorced two years after he returned.

“My mom had custody, thus my life with my dad consisted of weekends. It was so much different than the family he had imagined for himself,” Provenzano said. “He never quite recovered from it, and never took the leap to remarry, even when incredible women came into and out of his life.” 

Born September 25, 1950, Duncan worked most of his life at Tayloe Paper Company and Norris, an oil and gas parts manufacturer. Provenzano said her father was a devout Christian but he would also get angry with God in equal measure.

Provenzano said her father was a quiet man who struggled to part with money, except when it came to passing her cash as a child. 

She told The Frontier one of her fondest memories of her father was when he was driving her back to her mother’s house as a young child.   

“We were on the back roads in Bixby, and I wanted to drive,” Provenzano recalled. “He gave me the wheel but kept a hand on it, driving so slowly. Apparently a little too slow, and a little too all over the road. An officer stopped us, thinking my dad was drunk. I climbed into the back seat to watch out the back window as he and the officer talked. The officer saw my worry and let my dad off with a warning.  

“To the day he died, we would debate about whether I had gotten him out of a ticket.”

The post Oklahomans We’ve Lost: A war veteran who loved trucks, hunting and his daughter appeared first on The Frontier.

Oklahoma City Public Schools Superintendent Sean McDaniel will announce the mask mandate Friday morning, according to three sources within the district who spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to talk with the media.   

The district did not have a comment. 

Oklahoma City schools mandated masks last year but were forced to make them optional when the new school year started Monday because of the law change. 

On Friday, McDaniel will make them mandatory for anyone on school property. 

The governor’s office did not respond to multiple requests for comment on the district’s decision. 

Gov. Kevin Stitt has said a mask mandate takes away a parent’s freedom to choose what is best for their child. 

Other states with Republican governors have passed similar laws, including Texas, where large school districts, such as Dallas, Austin and Fort Worth, announced this week they will mandate masks. 

A similar law in Arkansas was struck down by a judge earlier this month. 

On Thursday, a group of parents and medical officials filed a lawsuit in Oklahoma County District Court challenging the law, which was first reported by the Tulsa World. 

“The science stands firmly behind vaccinations and masking as important tools in stopping the spread of COVID-19,” said Mary Clarke, president of the Oklahoma State Medical Association, which is a plaintiff in the lawsuit. “As we are experiencing record numbers of children infected by the Delta variant and hospitals are stretched to capacity, we must do everything we can to keep Oklahoma’s children safe.”

COVID cases are rising across Oklahoma and a majority of residents over the age of 12 are not yet fully vaccinated. Children under the age of 12 are not yet eligible to receive any of the COVID vaccines. 

On Wednesday, Santa Fe South Schools, a charter school system in Oklahoma City, also announced it would mandate masks. 

On Thursday, the school’s policy was updated to say students could be exempt for “personal” reasons. 

The governor’s office appeared to see this change as a win.

“The governor appreciates that Santa Fe Charter Schools will continue to give parents the right to decide what is best for the health of their children,” said Carly Atchison, a spokeswoman for the governor, in an email statement on Thursday. 

Senate Bill 658, which was passed in the state House and Senate along mostly partisan lines, says “A board of education of a public school district or a technology center school district may only implement a mandate to wear a mask or any other medical device” if the governor declares a state of emergency, which Stitt has not done. 

But McDaniel believes the law gives him the ability to mandate masks as superintendent, according to a senior official with the district who spoke to The Frontier on the condition of anonymity. 

On Monday, the Oklahoma City school board voted to give McDaniel the power to make decisions on how to respond to rising COVID cases, which could include closing a school because of an outbreak. There was no discussion about a mask requirement at the time, but the superintendent believes the law only limits the ability of school boards to mandate masks, the official said. 

“School districts need to be able to protect their students and if there is a legal pathway to do so we should take it,” said Carrie Jacobs, an Oklahoma City school board member, when reached by phone Thursday afternoon and asked for comment on a possible mandate. 

In a Wednesday interview, Rep. Kevin West, one of the bill’s authors, said he was disappointed to see schools oppose the law but he believed the governor would declare a state of emergency if it were necessary to protect students.

“​​I’ve never got the impression that (Stitt) would be so bull-headed as to refuse to do an emergency just because he doesn’t want masks to be mandated in schools,” said West, R-Moore

The post Oklahoma’s largest school district will defy state law and mandate masks appeared first on The Frontier.

Santa Fe South Schools, a charter school district in south Oklahoma City, announced Wednesday it will require masks for anyone on school grounds, according to a letter posted online by Superintendent Chris Brewster. 

“I am operating within the advice of my attorneys and doing my very best to protect my kids at the schools first,” Brewster told The Frontier Wednesday afternoon. 

Brewster would not say what specific legal advice he received that made him confident he could require masks but said he is “willing to confront” potential legal challenges.

“We will strictly enforce this at all times. Again, this is a requirement, and should not be considered optional for anyone at any time, unless they have confirmation from their physician that mask-wearing is not required,” Brewster wrote in the letter. 

As COVID-19 cases rise across the state and schools welcome back students, health officials have said masking and vaccination are the best ways to stop the spread and protect students and school staff. 

Oklahomans under the age of 12 are not yet eligible for the vaccine and the state Legislature and governor approved a law earlier this year that prevents a school from enforcing a mask mandate, unless a state of emergency is declared by the governor. 

Gov. Kevin Stitt’s office did not respond to a request for comment.

Rep. Kevin West, one of the bill’s authors, said he was disappointed to see schools oppose the law but pointed out there are no specific penalties in the legislation.

“We did not put any penalties in there, we did not put anything in there where the state Department of Education writes rules,” said West, R-Moore. “But if a school chooses to violate the law they are opening themselves up to a civil lawsuit from parents. That’s really just parental involvement. Beyond that I guess we will see what happens.”

COVID-19 cases have increased significantly in recent weeks and now mirror levels not seen since February. Hospitals across the state have reported capacity issues and just 40 percent of Oklahomans are fully vaccinated against Covid-19, according to the state Department of Health. 

Oklahoma has the 11th-worst vaccination rate in the nation, according to data compiled by the Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research.

Similar laws banning schools from enforcing mask mandates have been passed in other states, including Texas, where this week several large school districts, including Dallas and Austin, announced they would still require masks. 

In Arkansas, where lawmakers also banned schools from requiring masks, Gov. Asa Hutchinson recently said he regretted the move and wants lawmakers to overturn the decision in a special session. 

West said Oklahoma’s law is different because Stitt could declare a state of emergency that would grant schools the power to mandate masks. In Arkansas, Hutchinson called for an unsuccessful special session to overturn the ban. A judge later blocked the Arkansas law. 

“​​I’ve never got the impression that (Stitt) would be so bull-headed as to refuse to do an emergency just because he doesn’t want masks to be mandated in schools,” West said. 

Santa Fe South Schools is the first school system in Oklahoma to announce they will challenge the law but Tulsa Public Schools plans to discuss possible legal action, the Tulsa World reported Wednesday.

“I’ve been hearing actively from parents every day who are asking us to do more to protect their students,” Tulsa board President Stacey Woolley told the Tulsa World. “I feel it is incumbent upon us to do something.”

Oklahoma City Public Schools officials said the district has no plans to take similar action.

“We are not moving in that direction at this time,” said Beth Harrison, a spokeswoman for the district. 

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends all students age two and older, including school staff, wear a mask, regardless of vaccination status. 

Many school districts, including Oklahoma City, Tulsa, Edmond and Norman, have strongly recommended mask wearing by their students and staff. 

Masks are needed in schools “partially related to the fact that we don’t have enough of the critical mass vaccinated yet,” said CDC Director Rochelle Walensky, speaking at a town hall last week in Boston. 

Oklahoma State Superintendent Joy Hofmeister has said she wants lawmakers to again allow schools to enforce mask requirements. She is urging the governor to declare a state of emergency.

“I would strongly encourage students and staff and school personnel to consider masking indoors, to think of this in the same way we think of second hand smoke, we know that this causes danger to others around us as well as the one who is smoking,” Hofmeister told KOCO. 

The new law says, “A board of education of a public school district or a technology center school district may only implement a mandate to wear a mask or any other medical device after consultation with the local county health department or city-county health department within the jurisdiction of where the board is located and when the jurisdiction of where the board is located is under a current state of emergency declared by the Governor.”

While the governor had previously said he would never take away a city government’s ability to mandate masks, Stitt has said the law was necessary to give parents the freedom to choose if they want their child to wear a mask. 

But some parents told The Frontier the lack of a mask mandate has taken away their freedom to safely send their children to school. 

“It has taken away our choices, it has taken away our choice to be able to send him to school because it’s too risky,” said Emily Snook, the mother of a second-grade student in Norman who has a hereditary blood disorder. 

Brewster, superintendent of Santa Fe South, said he believed his community of families would support his decision to enforce a mask mandate. 

“They place a very high expectation on us to care for their children,” Brewster said. “In fact, that is the central motivation on a decision like this – our community rightfully expects their kids to be safe at school.” 

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But with the safety precautions Bennett’s school put in place last year, including mandatory face masks, Snook felt comfortable sending him back to in-person class.

This year, a mask mandate is not an option because state lawmakers and the governor stripped that authority from schools. 

Gov. Kevin Stitt said mandating masks took away a parent’s right to choose what is best for their student – “This is about personal responsibility. This is about freedoms,” Stitt said last month. 

But Snook said the governor’s decision has limited her rights. 

“It has taken away our choices, it has taken away our choice to be able to send him to school because it’s too risky,” said Snook, who lives in Norman. “It feels like a less extreme version of outlawing wheelchair ramps because people want to have the freedom to only have steps.”

As a new variant of the coronavirus spreads rapidly in Oklahoma, Stitt has consistently said he does not plan to to sign an emergency declaration, which would trigger the only legal way public schools in the state can mandate masks again. Democrats have called for a special legislative session in order to overturn the new law but there appears to be no appetite for such a move among the Republican majority. 

Some parents told The Frontier they were considering a return to virtual school because of a lack of mask mandates and other precautions. While anyone over age 12 is now eligible for the vaccine, only about 40 percent of Oklahomans are fully vaccinated. 

Parents weigh the risks 

Unable to vaccinate her son and without a mask mandate, Snook decided to enroll Bennett in virtual school this year. She had to commit to sending Bennett to the virtual school for an entire semester, a move that will require her to leave her job in order to also stay at home. 

“I cried after I called the school to tell them,” Snook said last week. “I haven’t told my son yet.”

Other parents also told The Frontier they face the difficult choice of deciding between the hardships of virtual school and the potential for their children to become infected with the virus.

Virtual charter schools saw a 77 percent increase last year, according to the state Department of Education. 

“My boys are 10 and five, they are not eligible to be vaccinated, and I’d rather their education be interrupted again than put them at risk,” said David Crow, the parent of two students in Jenks Public Schools. 

As many schools prepare for a return to class this month, administrators only have the power to strongly encourage students and staff to wear masks. 

“Our expectation is that every adult and student – regardless of vaccination status –  wears a mask at all times indoors and outdoors when in the presence of others,” states the masking policy at Tulsa Public Schools, which will welcome back students on Aug. 19.

Oklahoma City Public Schools also plans to encourage mask use in its buildings. Edmond Public Schools recently updated signage on school doors from “masks are welcome” to “masks are encouraged.” 

“While it is still a personal choice, we want (students) to know you are supported in wearing it,” said Angela Grunewald, superintendent of Edmond Public Schools. 

“Covid is not behind us, it is still here and we must address it in the best way that we can.”

Masking resistance 

A resistance to mask mandates is nothing new in a Republican state like Oklahoma. Other Republican states have also eliminated the ability for schools to require masks over the past year. 

In neighboring Arkansas, Gov. Asa Hutchinson has called for a special legislative session to reverse similar legislation that he signed into law in April. Hutchinson, a Republican, now says that school districts should be able to decide whether to require masks after a rising number of COVID-19 cases in his state. 

“In hindsight, I wish that it had not become law,” Hutchinson said.

Many Oklahoma school districts never required masks even as the number of COVID-19 cases crested last year. Most districts held in-person classes for the bulk of the year. 

The state’s two largest districts, Tulsa and Oklahoma City, conducted most of last school year virtually, drawing Stitt’s ire. The governor regularly complained about the two school systems and called on parents to lobby their local school board’s to reinstate in-person classes.  

State Superintendent Joy Hofmeister and many health officials said the best way to ensure in-person class was to require masks, which have been proven to significantly reduce the spread of COVID-19. 

At one point last year, the state Department of Education was engaged in talks with Stitt’s office over a plan to require in-person learning in exchange for a mask mandate. But Stitt ultimately pulled away from the negotiations. 

While Stitt said his objection to school mask mandates was motivated by a desire to give individuals and parents the right to make their own decisions, the governor has not consistently followed that philosophy. In November, Stitt said he would not take away a municipal government’s right to order a mask mandate. 

The governor’s critics have pounced on the contradiction. 

“It is frustrating that leadership in this state has championed local control until now when the lives of our children are at stake,” said Rep. Mickey Dollens, D-Oklahoma City, who is a former teacher. 

Snook also sees a contradiction in preventing mask mandates. 

“I’ve been a Republican my entire life, I am unequivocally pro-life and believe in local control,” Snook said. “So it’s illogical what our governor and our state Legislature is doing because it’s contradictory to their own stated values because we have turned this into such a political culture war.

“To me, a consistent pro-life philosophy would be to do everything we can to protect the wellness of kids, especially vulnerable kids.”

Race to vaccinate

Teachers, including some with compromised immune systems, have also complained about schools’ inability to mandate masks.

Ted Hartley, a math teacher at Harding Charter Preparatory High School in Oklahoma City, recently underwent a kidney transplant that makes him more vulnerable to COVID-19. 

Hartley said he plans to require face masks in his classroom regardless of what state law says. 

“I’m a tough guy, they are going to have to come get me if they really want to go that far,” he said. 

Hartley is vaccinated but not every teacher is. 

Oklahoma City Public Schools Superintendent Sean McDaniel said around 60 percent of his district’s teachers are fully vaccinated, according to self-reported numbers. 

“Based on everything we know, if you wear a mask and if you get vaccinated … it gives us a better chance to do what we said is our priority, which is keep kids in school,” McDaniel said. 

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