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News from the South - Oklahoma News Feed

Oklahoma Lawmaker Sues Governor Over State Employee Return-To-Work Policy

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oklahomawatch.org – Paul Monies – 2025-02-24 06:00:00

Oklahoma Lawmaker Sues Governor Over State Employee Return-To-Work Policy

A Democratic lawmaker is challenging Gov. Kevin Stitt’s return-to-work order for state employees, claiming the governor overstepped his authority into policies that should be decided by the legislative branch. 

Rep. Andy Fugate, of Del City, filed the lawsuit on Friday in Oklahoma County district court. He’s asking for a temporary injunction against Stitt’s executive order issued on Dec. 18. 

Fugate said state employees work for the people, not the governor, and the order has caused chaos for state employees. He said work-from-home flexibility has provided significant benefits for state employees, including more time with family, reduced expenses and an improved work-life balance. 

“Today’s workers are knowledge workers, not factory workers, and we measure workers by their productivity, not by their presence,” Fugate said. “Ultimately, this lawsuit is not about whether it’s more productive to have butts in seats. It’s about the office of the governor overstepping its authority.” 

Stitt’s executive order called for all state employees to return to the office, with limited exceptions, by Feb. 1. Agencies that eliminated office space in the last few years and would have problems accommodating a full return to office could get an exception from the policy. Agency executives can also approve teleworking for employees with non-standard work hours. 

Attorney Richard Labarthe, who is working on Fugate’s case on a pro bono basis, said Stitt’s original work-from-home policy came during the emergency powers granted to him during the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic. He said if the Legislature wanted to debate and pass wholesale changes to state employment terms, they are free to do so. 

“We do not have laws made by executive or gubernatorial fiat,” Labarthe said. “That is not provided for in our governing document, the state constitution. So this is very much something that’s outside Gov. Stitt’s purview.” 

In his state of the state address, Stitt touted his approach to cutting government spending and his return-to-work policy. 

“For years, I’ve instructed my cabinet secretaries and agency directors to shrink employee count and cut unnecessary contracts,” Stitt said in the Feb. 3 speech. “I am committed to having fewer state employees at the end of my term than when I took office in 2019. I also mandated an end to work from home policies for state employees to better serve the people of our state.”

In a written statement, Stitt said Fugate’s lawsuit was typical big government, Democrat behavior.

“State employees work for the taxpayer,” Stitt said in the prepared statement. “The data is clear, employees are more productive and accountable when they are working in the office. For the good of the taxpayer, work from home is over.”  

Some lawmakers, including Republicans, have expressed reservations about Stitt’s return-to-work policy. In a budget subcommittee hearing last month, Sen. Adam Pugh, R-Edmond, wondered if it could contribute to a loss of talent to the private sector, especially among younger state employees. Pugh worried that agencies would have to come back to the Legislature to request more money for higher salaries since work-from-home wasn’t an option or benefit anymore for state employees. 

“I can tell you younger generations are actually looking for things like remote work and virtual work and flexible time instead of pay,” Pugh said in a Jan. 15 hearing for the Commissioners of the Land Office. “Now I think any employee will always ask for more money, but I think quality of life decisions, how they’re able to raise a family, how they’re able to not have to go ask their boss for an hour off so they can go to the doctor. I think those things are very important to a modern workforce.” 

The state’s largest agency, the Department of Human Services, has more than 6,300 employees. Just 9%, or about 600 employees, were working fully on-site, the agency disclosed in budget documents in January. The rest were split almost evenly between fully remote or hybrid work arrangements. 

The Office of Management and Enterprise Services is collecting responses from agencies about their progress or exceptions requested under the executive order. A report is supposed to be issued by the end of March. Oklahoma Watch has a pending open records request, filed Feb. 4, for agency responses so far. 

Lawmakers have sued Stitt several times since he became governor over separation of power issues. The lawsuits largely dealt with disputes over how much authority the governor had to sign or change compacts with various tribal governments. The Oklahoma Supreme Court ruled for the Legislature in separate lawsuits brought in 2020, 2021 and 2024
But the Supreme Court ruled 8-0 in January that the governor had the right to hire his own counsel in disputes with tribal governments, rejecting an argument from Attorney General Gentner Drummond that the AG had the sole authority to litigate those matters on behalf of the state.

This article first appeared on Oklahoma Watch and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.

The post Oklahoma Lawmaker Sues Governor Over State Employee Return-To-Work Policy appeared first on oklahomawatch.org

News from the South - Oklahoma News Feed

Family sues Roblox, accusing them of failing to protect kids from predators

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www.youtube.com – KFOR Oklahoma’s News 4 – 2025-09-02 23:17:25

SUMMARY: An Oklahoma family is suing Roblox, accusing the popular gaming platform of failing to protect children from predators. The suit centers on a 12-year-old girl allegedly groomed and sexually extorted by a man posing as a 15-year-old boy. According to court documents, the predator coerced the girl into sending explicit photos, threatened to kill her family, and manipulated her using Roblox’s digital currency. The family claims Roblox is a “hunting ground for child predators” and profits from these dangers. Roblox states it has safeguards and recently announced plans to better detect risks. The lawsuit does not specify damages sought.

Family sues Roblox, accusing them of failing to protect kids from predators

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News from the South - Oklahoma News Feed

Thousands of State Employees Still Working Remotely

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oklahomawatch.org – Paul Monies – 2025-09-02 06:00:00


Over 8,500 Oklahoma state employees work remotely at least part-time, mainly due to limited office space. Following Gov. Kevin Stitt’s December executive order mandating a return to the office, agencies show varied telework rates. The Oklahoma Corporation Commission’s remote work rose from 12% to 59% amid office renovations, while the Department of Environmental Quality reduced remote work from 30% to 1%, complying fully with the order. The Department of Human Services still has over 80% teleworking due to space shortages. Exceptions to the return-to-office policy include off-hours workers, field employees, and those needing additional office space. About 30% of state employees telework overall.

More than 8,500 state employees are working remotely at least some of the time, with the arrangement mostly from a lack of space at agencies. 

The Office of Management and Enterprise Services compiled the latest numbers after a December executive order issued by Gov. Kevin Stitt mandating a return to the office for state employees. 

The Oklahoma Corporation Commission and the Department of Environmental Quality went in opposite directions on remote work in the second quarter report. Just 12% of employees at the Corporation Commission were on remote work in the first quarter. That jumped to 59% in the second quarter. The agency has relocated as its longtime office, the Jim Thorpe Building, undergoes renovations. 

Brandy Wreath, director of administration for the Corporation Commission, said the agency has a handful of experienced employees in its public utility division who work out of state and were hired on a telework basis. Some other employees are working remotely because of doctor’s orders limiting their interactions. The agency got rid of space and offices in the Jim Thorpe Building before the renovations started. The building project is expected to be completed in the next six months. 

“At Jim Thorpe, we were right-sized for everyone to be in the office,” Wreath said. “Whenever we moved to Will Rogers, we are in temporary space, and we don’t have enough space for everyone to be in every day.” 

Wreath said the Corporation Commission uses the state’s Workday system that has codes for employees to use when they are logged in and working remotely. Employees also know they are subject to random activity audits. 

“We’re supportive of the idea of having employees in the workplace and willing to serve,” Wreath said. “We also realize the value of having employees in rural Oklahoma and still being a part of the state structure. Our goal is to make sure our employees are productive, no matter where they are working. We are supportive of return-to-office, and we are utilizing the tools OMES has given us to ensure the state is getting its money’s worth.” 

The Department of Environmental Quality now has just 1% of its employees working remotely. That’s down from 30% in the first quarter. Spokeswoman Erin Hatfield said the agency, with 527 employees, is in full compliance with the executive order. Seven employees are on telework, with all but one on temporary telework status as they recover from medical issues.  

There are three exceptions to the return-to-office policy: employees whose hours are outside normal business hours; employees who already work in the field; and when new or additional office space would have to be acquired at additional cost. 

The Department of Human Services continued to have more than 80% of its 6,060 employees on some type of telework, according to the second quarter report. The agency said those numbers stemmed mostly from a lack of available office space. DHS closed dozens of county offices or found other agency office space for its employees to use in the first years of the COVID-19 pandemic, when there was a huge shift to remote work.  

The latest telework report covers 29,250 of the state’s 31,797 employees. About 30% of employees were on some version of telework in the second quarter. Dozens of agencies did not submit quarterly reports to the Office of Management and Enterprise Services.

Paul Monies has been a reporter with Oklahoma Watch since 2017 and covers state agencies and public health. Contact him at (571) 319-3289 or pmonies@oklahomawatch.org. Follow him on Twitter @pmonies. 



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The post Thousands of State Employees Still Working Remotely appeared first on oklahomawatch.org

Oklahoma Watch, at oklahomawatch.org, is a nonprofit, nonpartisan news organization that covers public-policy issues facing the state.



Note: The following A.I. based commentary is not part of the original article, reproduced above, but is offered in the hopes that it will promote greater media literacy and critical thinking, by making any potential bias more visible to the reader –Staff Editor.

Political Bias Rating: Centrist

This content provides a fact-based report on the remote work status of Oklahoma state employees following an executive order from Governor Kevin Stitt. It presents information from multiple state agencies with no apparent favor or criticism of the executive order or political figures involved. The tone is neutral and focuses on the practical reasons and outcomes of remote work policies, reflecting a balanced approach without clear ideological leanings.

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News from the South - Oklahoma News Feed

Test taker finds it's impossible to fail 'woke' teacher assessment

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www.youtube.com – KFOR Oklahoma’s News 4 – 2025-09-02 04:17:31

SUMMARY: Oklahoma’s “America First” teacher qualification test aims to weed out “woke” educators from states like California and New York, focusing on civics, parental rights, and biology. However, many find it nearly impossible to fail. Test-takers, including independent publisher Ashley, report multiple attempts allowed per question, enabling passing regardless of knowing answers, often by guessing until correct. Average Oklahomans tested struggled with the questions, highlighting the test’s difficulty and questionable effectiveness. Critics say the test’s ease defeats its purpose of ensuring teacher knowledge. The state superintendent’s office was contacted for comment but had yet to respond.

Test taker finds it’s impossible to fail ‘woke’ teacher assessment

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