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Oklahoma online portal leads to influx of complaints to state education officials

Varun Gaba / Unsplash

A new reporting system launched in late October allows Oklahomans to report problems at schools. The new system has led to an increase in complaints, according to the State Department of Education.

The new portal system, Awareity, allows anyone to report an issue in schools on a wide range of options — like curriculum and instruction to fraud and embezzlement.

The portal also allows people to select the county and location of the issue they are reporting.

It comes amid a push by politicians like the newly elected, incoming State Superintendent of Public Instruction Ryan Walters, who has called for parents to raise the alarm about potentialHouse Bill 1775 violations – also known as Oklahoma’s so-called critical race theory ban.

The State Department of Education said since the portal went live on October 26, there have been a total of 24 reports received.

Eight of those reports involved bullying, and another seven involved issues with professional standards or educator conduct. Other reports that were filed include issues with safety and security, child nutrition, civil rights and more.

Data provided by the Oklahoma State Department of Health shows the number of reports issued to the new portal Awareity.
Data provided by the Oklahoma State Department of Education shows the number of reports issued to the new portal, Awareity.

The portal allows people to report anonymously, but so far 16 of the total reports have been filed by parents or guardians.

The Awareity site says that “community input is highly valued” to make important decisions for schools.

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Kateleigh Mills was the Special Projects reporter for KOSU from 2019 to 2024.
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