| Oklahoma School for the Blind | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Location | |
 | |
| Information | |
| Type | Public School |
| Established | 1897 |
| School district | Oklahoma |
| Superintendent | Rita Echelle |
| Principal | Lynn Cragg |
| Principal | Shawna Coplen |
| Grades | Pre-K to 12 grade |
| Color(s) | Royal Blue |
| Mascot | Panthers |
| Affiliation | Oklahoma Department of Rehabilitation Services |
| Website | osb |
Oklahoma School for the Blind, also known as Parkview School, is a day and residential school located in Muskogee, Oklahoma for blind students up to grade 12.
In 2013, Senate Bill 858 (SB 858), introduced in the Oklahoma Senate would have authorized the creation of private schools to educate deaf children. The argument in favor of the bill was that it would allow parents more choices in how they choose to educate their disabled children. The move alarmed teachers and parents of students at OSB, who realized that it could force closure of the state school in the future. They testified before the committee about how vital the specialized services and teachers were to their students whole lives, and noted that charter schools did not have, and probably could not afford such facilities and services. Their arguments were so persuasive that the bill failed to pass in the committee. [1]
An article by Tim Willert, published by the Oklahoman in November 2015, described concerns about the leadership of the school, particularly those expressed by parents of blind students. The Department of Rehabilitation Services Executive Director, Joe Cordova, had removed Superintendent Jim Adams in May, 2015, and hired Christine Boone, a noneducator and the wife of Doug Boone, the agency's director of visual services. Cordova told Adams that, "... the agency wanted to go in a different direction. [2]
The specific issue apparently is that Cordova expressed dissatisfaction with outcomes for students after they have left high school. He says he has years of data showing that these graduates neither get good quality jobs nor do well in higher education. Cordova said he and Adams disagreed over how to improve this. Governor Mary Fallin asked her general counsel, Steve Mullins, to intercede in the dispute, which had generated a large public outcry. After interviewing the main players, Mullins said that this was due to differing views of two organizations devoted to the cause of blind children: National Federation of the Blind (NFB) and American Council of the Blind (ACB). [2]
On February 1, 2016, Joe Cordova announced that he had selected Christine Boone as the permanent superintendent of the school. However, that did not settle the controversy, and some state legislators brought the matter to Governor Fallin. The controversy over school direction resulted in Joe Cordova's rescinding Boone's appointment and submitting his own resignation in early February, 2016. Noel Tyler was named executive director of the Department of Rehabilitation Services. Larry Hawkins, who had previously served 11 years as superintendent of the school, was hired to return as interim superintendent, effective March 1, 2016. It was the first major move made by Tyler as interim director. [3]
The school has dormitory facilities. [4]
Francis Anthony Keating II is an American attorney and politician who served as the 25th governor of Oklahoma from 1995 to 2003.
The Louisiana School for the Deaf is a state school for deaf and hard-of-hearing students in Louisiana, located in Baton Rouge, the state capital. It was established in 1852 as a joint school for blind students. In 1860, its first purpose-built facility was completed and admired as an elegant monument to philanthropy. The schools were divided in 1898, and in 1908, Louisiana School for the Deaf was renamed.
The Oklahoma School of Science and Mathematics (OSSM) is a two-year, public residential high school located in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. Established by the Oklahoma state legislature in 1983, the school was designed to educate academically gifted high school juniors and seniors in advanced mathematics and science. OSSM opened doors to its inaugural class in 1990. It is a member of the National Consortium of Secondary STEM Schools (NCSSS).
Mary Fallin is an American politician who served as the 27th governor of Oklahoma from 2011 to 2019. A member of the Republican Party, she was elected in 2010 and reelected in 2014. She is the first and so far only woman to be elected governor of Oklahoma. She was the first woman to represent Oklahoma in Congress since Alice Mary Robertson in 1921.
Oklahoma School for the Deaf (OSD) is a public residential school for the deaf and hard of hearing students ages 2 through 18. The school teaches K-12 students in Sulphur, Oklahoma, United States.
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The Oklahoma Department of Rehabilitation Services (DRS) is an agency of the government of Oklahoma responsible for providing people with physical, mental and visual disabilities with the opportunity to obtain employment and independent living through counseling, job training and other individualized services. DRS helps bridge barriers to success in the workplace, school and at home. DRS has five program divisions, Vocational Rehabilitation, Visual Services, Disability Determination, Oklahoma School for the Blind and Oklahoma School for the Deaf. These divisions operate dozens of specialized programs that help Oklahomans lead more independent and productive lives.
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Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) persons in the U.S. state of Oklahoma may face some legal challenges not experienced by non-LGBT residents. Same-sex sexual activity is legal in Oklahoma as a result of the U.S. Supreme Court decision in Lawrence v. Texas, although the state legislature has not repealed its sodomy laws. Both same-sex marriage and adoption by same-sex couples have been permitted since October 2014. State statutes do not prohibit discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity; however, the U.S. Supreme Court's ruling in Bostock v. Clayton County established that employment discrimination against LGBT people is illegal. This practice may still continue, as Oklahoma is an at-will employment state and it is still legal to fire an employee without requiring the employer to disclose any reason.
The Fifty-fourth Oklahoma Legislature was the meeting of the legislative branch of the government of Oklahoma from January 8, 2013 to January 5, 2015. The first session met from February 4, 2013, to May 24, 2013, in the Oklahoma State Capitol in Oklahoma City, during the third year of the first administration of Governor Mary Fallin. After the 2012 elections, the Republican Party held more than two-thirds of the seats in the Oklahoma Senate and the Oklahoma House of Representatives.
Joseph E. Dorman is an American politician who served in the Oklahoma House of Representatives, representing the 65th electoral district. He is a member of the Democratic Party.
A general election was in the U.S. state of Oklahoma on November 4, 2014. All of Oklahoma's executive officers were up for election as well as the state's five seats in the United States House of Representatives and both of the states United States Senate seats. Primary elections were held on June 24, 2014, and primary runoffs were held on August 26, 2014.
Barbara Masterson Staggs was a longtime educator in Muskogee, Oklahoma and a legislator in the Oklahoma House of Representatives. During her time in the legislature, Staggs assisted as a member of the Common Education Committee and was integral in passing many bills, such as one that lead to the creation of the Oklahoma Music Hall of Fame in Muskogee.
Joy Lynn Hofmeister is an American educator and politician who served as the Oklahoma Superintendent of Public Instruction from 2015 to 2023. Hofmeister was sworn in as Oklahoma's 14th State Superintendent on January 12, 2015, after defeating the incumbent Republican candidate, Janet Barresi, in the primary election and Democratic candidate John Cox in the general election. Hofmeister was re-elected on November 6, 2018, and sworn in for a second four-year term as State Superintendent on January 14, 2019. Hofmeister won re-election after facing Democrat John Cox a second time, as well as independent candidate Larry Huff.
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