Education Justice Projects

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.

In 2021, the Oklahoma legislature passed HB 1775. This bill put teachers and administrators in the cross hairs of the state's war on education. Teachers cannot teach true history because HB 1775 prohibits instruction that makes students uncomfortable about their race or sex. Difficult conversations about our history are required for a healthy democracy. While we disagree with the basis for the passage of HB 1775, we aren't afraid to use it for other permissible purposes under the law: attacking racist speech that targets students of color. See our recent press release on the complaint we filed on Clinton Public Schools.