Edmond five-year-olds left at wrong bus stop, wander around for an hour

The Oklahoman has the story.

Academic outcomes vary in Oklahoma schools, but decline the norm

"In Tulsa Public Schools, 89 percent of students tested below grade level in all subjects, and 64 percent were more than a year behind," Ray Carter reports. "In Oklahoma City, 90 percent of students performed below grade level in all subjects. State tests showed 67 percent of students were more than one year behind."

Edmond asks middle-school students to provide their preferred pronouns

"As part of the start-of-school process in Edmond Public Schools, some middle-school students were asked to provide their preferred pronouns with options including 'they/them,'" Ray Carter reports.

Former Edmond Santa Fe teacher sentenced

"A former Edmond Santa Fe teacher was sentenced Wednesday after entering a guilty plea for inappropriate behavior with a minor," the Edmond Sun reports.

Atheist group bullies Edmond school district

Will the district cave?

'Tis the season for utility-bill verifications

This photo I snapped today in overwhelmingly white north Edmond serves to remind us that the black market for school choice is still thriving.

Edmond parents report abuse in schools

Ray Carter has the story.

‘Take that s**t off!’

"An Oklahoma high school senior was caught on video Monday harassing and bullying a fellow student over his support for President Donald Trump," Dave Urbanski reports. "The video shows the aggressor preventing the other student—who's wearing a red "Make America Great Again" hat—from passing through an Edmond Santa Fe High School hallway."

The parents of the bullied student told KFOR: "We are deeply disturbed by the actions of the other student and have met with the Edmond City Attorney and are proceeding with municipal assault and battery charges. We are proud that our son has and will continue to show his patriotism, love for his country, and support for the president of the United States of America, Donald Trump."

Edmond Public Schools looking at installing new security features, including shatterproof glass

"Shatterproof glass and special entrances are among a number of security measures Edmond Public Schools officials are looking at to keep children safe," KOCO reports.

"The extremes, now with the violence, has really elevated that conversation," Superintendent Bret Towne said. "It's one of those things you lose sleep over as a superintendent."

Edmond teacher accused of sex crimes with minor

An Edmond teacher is accused of sex crimes involving a 17-year old boy, News 9 reports.

Handgun found in Edmond North High School student’s bag

"A loaded handgun was confiscated Wednesday from an Edmond North High School student’s bag," NewsOK.com reports.

Racism and the government school monopoly

"A story about racism in Edmond public schools points to the role parental choice can play in protecting vulnerable students and strengthening school discipline policies when it comes to racism," Greg Forster writes.

Edmond student facing assault charge after setting classmate's hair on fire

KFOR has the story.

Brawl at Edmond school sends student to the emergency room

KFOR has the story.

'Culture of racism' sparks Edmond North students' transfer

"Some Edmond North High School students who recently transferred out of the school said they did so to escape a culture of racism among the school students," KFOR reports.

“If you're at a different school, you know Edmond North is like this,” said Maurice Franklin, a senior at the school who transferred there from Edmond Santa Fe. “You know. It's very natural for white people to say the n-word.”

Franklin said he never wants to make a big deal out of the instances of racism he’s seen or been the victim of, but that it is a big deal. “It makes me angry," Franklin said. “There's a bunch of black people here that feel like they don't belong, and I'm one of those people.”

Victim suing Edmond school district

KFOR has the story.

Edmond mom says district's policies on bullying 'a joke'

"The school bullying issue will receive even more attention from the Edmond School District, intent on identifying problem students before they act out," Steve Gust reports for The Oklahoman.

District Information Director Susan Parks-Schlepp said a committee has been planned since March to "better meet the needs of our students."

Serving on the panel will be district and site personnel as well as representatives of state agencies who specialize in mental health and substance abuse problems.

Another new member will be April Whelan. She is the mother of twins who just completed fourth grade at Edmond's Sunset Elementary. Whelan brought her concerns to the Edmond school board at its May 7 regular meeting. She told board members about the frustration she experienced dealing with a bully she called "John Doe." Barely into the second week of fall classes, a fourth-grader targeted one of her sons with physical and verbal assaults. The offender, she said, also had flipped a desk, cursed at school staff and thrown a trash can in the classroom.

Whelan told the board she took her concerns to Sunset administrators who kept telling her multiple times "it was a process" in dealing with the bully. The offender did receive more than one two-day suspension, but that didn't deter him, Whelan said. During the meeting she said the district's policies on bullying were "a joke."

After the meeting, Superintendent Bret Towne said he had not been aware of the Sunset incident until Whelan spoke to the board. He ordered an immediate investigation into the matter.

Meanwhile, Edmond continues to remain vigilant against bullying, Parks-Schlepp said. "The district is troubled by reports of bullying and is committed to putting an end to student mistreatment by providing better training and resources to staff, implementing prevention programs and reviewing the bullying policy for possible revision."

Edmond teacher assistant accused of being high on meth at elementary school

"An Edmond schoolteacher assistant was arrested Tuesday afternoon after she appeared to be high on meth at her work," News 9 reports.

Prostitution ring targets Edmond high school girls

"Oklahoma City police need your help tracking down two people in connection with a prostitution ring that recruited young girls from Edmond high schools," Phil Cross reports for KOKH.

Germaine Coulter is facing new criminal charges of human trafficking, pandering, and conspiracy. Coulter has a criminal history dating back more than 20 years that includes violent crimes, drugs, and prostitution-related crimes. ... In the latest criminal case, investigators say Coulter had at least two Edmond high school students working for him as prostitutes. The court record indicates he was actively recruiting teenagers from Edmond for his prostitution business using the promise of money and potentially drugs.

Oklahoma schools use ‘seclusion rooms’

"A controversial practice of shutting children alone in small closet-like rooms to control their behavior has led Oklahoma parents to withdraw their children from school, seek police intervention and take legal action," Jennifer Palmer reports for Oklahoma Watch.

School officials give the rooms benign-sounding names like “blue room,” “cool-down room” or “de-escalation room” and say they’re intended to provide a healthy temporary separation. But many parents and child advocates say the practice is like being locked in a closet, and some liken it to solitary confinement in prison. Students placed in the room often have special needs. 

One father says his special-needs son was placed in a closet for timeout a dozen times in the first two weeks of classes at a Mustang elementary school. In the small Coal County district of Cottonwood, parents say the school placed their son in the narrow “blue room” multiple times for not minding his teacher when he was just 3 years old. Lawsuits have been filed over schools in Cottonwood, Ardmore, Edmond, and likely elsewhere.

Read the whole thing here.