Oologah-Talala School District Placed On Probation, State Board Says

The Oklahoma State Board of Education said Oologah-Talala School District is now on probation through the end of next school year.

The board also voted to reprimand Oologah-Talala School Board and Superintendent Max Tanner for problems that led up to the change in accreditation.

They said there was a vote that will require the school board to give quarterly updates from the district on their plans to fix the problems.

The state board said five Oologah-Talala teachers since 2016 have surrendered or faced revocation of their teaching certificates following misconduct allegations of a sexual nature involving Oologah-Talala students.

In to a letter sent to the district in March of this year, the Oklahoma State Department of Education said, "the issues raised by the five (5) certification actions noted above implicate school climate and student safety, as well as legal obligations of a public school under federal law, and as such have a potential bearing on school district accreditation status."