In The Know: Oklahoma superintendent orders all districts to offer free meals, threatens sanctions | Senate interim study season to include review of SNAP | Oklahoma’s “failure to protect” law under scrutiny in new interim study

In The Know is your daily briefing on Oklahoma policy-related news. OK Policy encourages the support of Oklahoma's state and local media, which are vital to an informed citizenry.

TUESDAY, JULY 8, 2025 Subscribe // View latest headlines Oklahoma's "failure to protect" law under scrutiny in new interim study (Capitol Update)   Last week, Senate President Pro Tempore Lonnie Paxton, R-Tuttle, announced that senators had requested 90 interim studies to be conducted while the legislature is out of session.One request that caught my attention is by Senator Todd Gollihare, R-Kellyville, who wants to study "the various 'failure to protect' laws involving child sexual abuse, child abuse, and child neglect." [Steve Lewis / Capitol Update] 20%   One in five students in Oklahoma aren't completing high school within four years, putting them at greater risk of lower earnings, poorer health, and limited career options. Delayed graduation rates are often a reflection of systemic underinvestment in public education. [2025 KIDS COUNT Data Profile for Oklahoma] Higher education spending boosts graduation rates – study   Boosting education funding can significantly improve graduation rates, especially in low-income districts. A 7-year study found that increased state spending led to a 2.1 percentage point rise in graduation, with the greatest gains in poorer areas. The findings show that targeted investments in schools can lead to measurable improvements in student success. [World Economic Forum] "Put simply, ensuring every child has access to no cost meals every school day and throughout the summer is a goal we should all share and that we can achieve, but it will take additional investment from our state and leveraging every federal dollar available to make it happen."   - Hunger Free Oklahoma, an organization that advocates for stronger legislative support to reduce hunger across the state, responding to Ryan Walters' mandate to fully fund student meals using existing resources. In their statement, they emphasized that while healthy, accessible school meals are critical to children's development and academic success, providing universal school meals is not feasible without new funding from the state. [Hunger Free Oklahoma] You're invited to join a Community Listening Session near you!   This summer, the Oklahoma Policy Institute and Together Oklahoma are hosting in-person listening sessions across the state to hear directly from Oklahomans about the issues that matter most in their communities. These free, public events offer a chance to connect with neighbors, share your experiences, and speak with policy experts. Participants will receive compensation for their time.   Make your voice heard—find a session near you and join the conversation. Oklahoma News   Oklahoma superintendent orders all districts to offer free meals, threatens sanctions: All public schools in Oklahoma must pay for free cafeteria meals for every student and exclude certain dyes and processed foods, the state's top education official ordered. Walters said districts already have enough state and federal funds to afford the expense, especially if they cut back on administrators' salaries. [Oklahoma Voice] Ryan Walters issues school lunch demands, threatens audits to force admin cost cutting [Tulsa World] Ryan Walters wants to force school districts to fund student meals, blaming cost on 'bureaucratic bloat' [The Oklahoman] Walters announces policy requiring Oklahoma districts to pay for all students' school meals [StateImpact / KGOU] Implementing free school lunches in Oklahoma comes with concerns on tight deadline [KOCO] Oklahoma schools ordered to fund free student meals with no new funding [News 9] How will every Oklahoma school district fund free lunches? Walters says they must make it a priority [KOCO] Oklahoma schools must fully fund student meals with existing state and federal dollars [KTUL] Oklahoma legislators react to OSDE's school meal funding mandate with cautious optimism [Fox 25] From Hunger Free Oklahoma: Building on What Works: Hunger Free Oklahoma Urges Practical Path to Universal School Meals State Government News   Oklahoma Senate interim study season to include review of SNAP: Oklahoma Senate lawmakers will return to the Capitol later this summer for the annual interim study season that will include looks at SNAP benefits, private school tax credits, maternal and infant health outcomes and Memorandum of Agreement regulations. [The Journal Record] From OK Policy: Interim Study Federal Government News   On the Fourth of July, Trump signs his 'big, beautiful bill' into law: President Donald Trump signed into law Friday evening his massive spending cut and tax break package to fulfill his domestic policy agenda on immigration and defense and overhaul American energy production. The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office estimates that the bill could add $3.4 trillion to deficits over the next 10 years, according to its most recent analysis. [Oklahoma Voice] From OK Policy: Statement from the Oklahoma Policy Institute on passage of the "Big Beautiful Bill" Trump floats high tariffs on Japan, Korea and more countries by Aug. 1: President Donald Trump on Monday threatened tariffs from 25% to 40% on all goods from seven countries, including major U.S. trade partners Japan and South Korea. The tariffs would go into effect Aug. 1, rather than Wednesday, which was the deadline Trump already extended once from an initial April date. [Oklahoma Voice]   Medicaid's many different names may cause confusion about who's losing coverage (transcript): An estimated 16 million Americans could lose their health care coverage with funding cuts and policy changes in the federal reconciliation bill. About half of that loss is expected to come from changes that could lead to hundreds of billions of dollars in Medicaid cuts. Health care advocates and experts warn that people may not know they are losing their coverage until it's too late. [KOSU] NOTE: SoonerCare is Oklahoma's Medicaid program US physician groups sue Kennedy over vaccine policy: Several leading medical organizations filed a lawsuit against U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and the Department of Health and Human Services on Monday, arguing that current policies on COVID-19 vaccines pose an imminent threat to public health. [Reuters]   Tribal Nations News   Ann Coulter tweet draws rebuke from Cherokee Nation chief: Early Saturday morning, columnist Ann Coulter retweeted a video clip of remarks made by a Navajo professor from the University of Minnesota, adding the comment "We didn't kill enough Indians." In response, Cherokee Nation Principal Chief Chuck Hoskin Jr. issued a statement Sunday night, characterizing Coulter's tweet as "dangerous hate speech" and "beyond abhorrent." [Tulsa World] Oklahoma Indigenous leaders criticize Ann Coulter social media post advocating for genocide [KOSU] Opinion: Cherokee chief was right to push back at Ann Coulter [Ginnie Graham / Tulsa World] Two-Spirit discrimination persists, as questions swirl around Aubrey Dameron's murder investigation: Six years after Aubrey Dameron, a 25-year-old transgender Cherokee woman, disappeared from a popular summer destination on the Cherokee Nation reservation, multiple law enforcement agencies in the state have worked on her case. Yet, no details regarding her death have emerged, despite a thorough search for answers from Dameron's loved ones and a well-known Indigenous investigator. [KOSU]   Choctaw Freedmen call for federal protection ahead of tribal vote: An organization that educates and advocates for descendants of Freedmen who were formerly enslaved by the Five Tribes is calling on the federal government to push the Choctaw Nation to honor its 1866 Treaty obligations ahead of a tribal vote. [The Black Wall Street Times]   Freedmen send letter to Department of Interior opposing Choctaw ballot question: Descendants of people formerly enslaved by the Choctaw Nation are asking for the U.S. Department of the Interior's intervention in an upcoming tribal election. If the majority votes 'yes,' the measure would remove the need for the Choctaw Nation to seek out the Department of the Interior for approval when making constitutional amendments. [KOSU]   Choctaw Nation District 4: Incumbent Jess Henry challenged by Kenneth Marshall: Incumbent Jess Henry is facing a lone challenger, Kenneth Marshall, in the race to represent District 4 on the Choctaw Nation Tribal Council. District 4 covers a northeast portion of the Choctaw Nation Reservation, including parts of LeFlore County and running from just north of Talihina through Pocola. [NonDoc]   Seminole Nation General Council election will determine 8 seats: Eight of the 28 seats on the Seminole Nation of Oklahoma General Council are up for grabs in an election Saturday. The other 20 seats have either already been decided by default or will be filled by appointment because fewer than two candidates filed to represent a band. [NonDoc]   Caddo Nation and OSUIT partner to transform workforce development: The Caddo Nation Economic Development Authority (CNEDA) and Oklahoma State University Institute of Technology (OSUIT) partnered to create workforce development opportunities for Caddo citizens and to grow the tribal economy through education. [Fox 23]   Voting and Election News   Stitt's energy secretary enters 2026 race to succeed Drummond as attorney general: Republican Gov. Kevin Stitt's energy and environment secretary has jumped into the race to succeed one of Stitt's political rivals as Oklahoma's attorney general. [The Oklahoman]   Education News   Tulsa Public Schools talks about the impact of new education laws ahead of the upcoming school year: A hundred new Oklahoma laws went into effect this week and several of them impact education. School might be the last thing on students' and teachers' minds right now, but there are a few new requirements to pay attention to come August. [News on 6]   Oklahoma Athletic Director Joe Castiglione retiring after 27 years: Oklahoma's Joe Castiglione, who has guided the Sooners' sports operations since 1998, will retire from his full-time role during the upcoming school year, the university announced on Monday. Castiglione's retirement will end the longest current tenure for an athletic director in major college sports. [Reuters]   Criminal Justice News   OK County jail not broke, but officials say budgeting changes are needed. What's wrong?: The Oklahoma County Criminal Justice Authority is not broke, but officials looking into why jail administrators alarmingly told them and the public that it was raised more questions about jail spending. [The Oklahoman] Oklahoma County Jail to stay afloat, despite "urgent warning" about budget last week [KFOR] Officials weigh legality, necessity of license plate readers in Oklahoma crime-solving: An Oklahoma lawmaker is working to find a balance between liberty and safety in the use of license plate readers to solve crimes. The representative we spoke with says he's requesting an interim study on license plate readers in response to another lawmaker requesting a study on them, who's against these cameras being used to solve crimes. [KTUL]   An Oklahoma father planned to get married but now faces deportation: The Frontier spoke with four immigration attorneys in Oklahoma who said they've seen an increase in the number of legal permanent residents detained for past convictions that they often believed were behind them. And some local police departments are assisting with the arrests. [The Frontier] From OK Policy: Silence in the face of injustice puts each of us at risk (Commentary) Oklahoma Highway Patrol to pull resources from metros: Top Republican leaders were mum Monday about whether they supported a plan by the Oklahoma Highway Patrol to stop providing law enforcement coverage in the state's urban areas later this year. The Highway Patrol said last week that it will reallocate resources away from Oklahoma City, Tulsa, Edmond, Moore, Norman, Midwest City and Del City and instead focus on areas covered by smaller law enforcement footprints. [Oklahoma Voice] OHP announces it is withdrawing patrol of interstate highways in Tulsa, OKC [Tulsa World] 'A significant impact': OHP changes could exacerbate challenges within Oklahoma police departments [KOCO] Housing & Economic Opportunity News   Investors snap up growing share of US homes as traditional buyers struggle to afford one: Real estate investors are snapping up a bigger share of U.S. homes on the market as rising prices and stubbornly high borrowing costs freeze out many other would-be homebuyers.Despite the modest annual increase, the rise in the share of investor home purchases is more a reflection of how much the housing market has slowed as traditional buyers face growing affordability constraints. [Associated Press] From OK Policy: New data shows Oklahoma's housing crisis is worsening Economy & Business News   Solar farm company files legal challenge against Wagoner County Commissioners: In an effort to continue with its planned Persica project, NextEra Energy Resources filed a lawsuit in Wagoner County District Court on June 26. The legal challenge is the latest in the company's lengthy pursuit of the project, which would span about 4,650 acres of agricultural land. [StateImpact / KGOU]   Community News   Oklahoma sends aid to Texas to help with devastating flooding: Oklahoma has sent swift water rescue teams to central Texas to help with recovery efforts following deadly flash flooding early Friday that devastated the area. [Oklahoma Voice] Oklahoma sends rescue teams to aid in Texas Hill Country disaster [The Journal Record] Local Headlines Tulsa County Commission tables zoning vote for planned data center [Tulsa World] Tulsa history museum rebrands, unveils 'Cabinet of Curiosities' [Public Radio Tulsa] El Reno Library moves reading outside with new StoryWalk [KOSU] You can sign up here to receive In The Know by e-mail. In The Know is your daily briefing on Oklahoma policy-related news. Inclusion of a story does not necessarily mean endorsement by the Oklahoma Policy Institute. Some stories included here are behind paywall or require subscription. OK Policy encourages the support of Oklahoma's state and local media, which are vital to an informed citizenry. Support Our Work with a Donation Contact Oklahoma Policy Institute 907 S. 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