Education Justice Projects

For most states, corporal punishment in public schools is a thing of the distant past. In Oklahoma, paddling is still an active practice that takes place in 137 school districts. In fact, Oklahoma schools are paddling kids with disabilities even after a regulation was passed to stop this practice.

It's time for Oklahoma to abolish corporal punishment once and for all. On October 3rd, 2023, our newest report gives the real numbers and the practical arguments for ending this archaic practice.

Oklahoma public school teachers have become the buffer between political culture wars. This kind of targeting must stop. OK Appleseed is launching the Freedom to Teach Fund, a legal defense fund that will pay teachers' legal fees to protect their constitutional rights and their rights to privacy.

Many studies have shown the impact of a mentor on a child's life. Lunch Buddies has been a program that was implemented at several public schools across the state. Churches and workplaces partner with public schools to allow volunteers to meet their student lunch buddies once a week to share a meal, a conversation, and some games and reading.

Our 2023 Summer Research Fellows are examining statewide data on exclusionary discipline to examine how it creates and contributes to the school-to-prison pipeline. Suspensions, expulsions, and referrals to law enforcement all contribute to a negative learning environment for too many of Oklahoma's kids who are simply acting out cycles of trauma. 

Have you or a loved one experienced exclusionary discipline in an Oklahoma public school? Share your story here: