New Oklahoma Law Says Students Can’t Graduate From High School Until They’re Accepted Into College, A Trade School, Or Join The Military
While the governor is standing by the law, it doesn't make much sense.
Studio Romantic | Shutterstock It’s important to set students up on a path to success post-graduation. That's why teachers and parents alike are known for giving students all the tools they need to become the best versions of themselves.
The question is, when and if the government should also become involved? The governor of Oklahoma decided it was time to be a part of students’ lives but received a lot of backlash in doing so.
Oklahoma law requires students to have some kind of plan for the future before they graduate from high school.
According to Oklahoma City’s Fox 25, high school students must now either be accepted into a college or trade school or join the military to be able to graduate. This is all because of a new initiative from Oklahoma’s governor, Keven Stitt.
In an X post regarding the decision, Stitt stated that his goal was to “[turn] classrooms into career launchpads.”
“We want to prepare every student for success in the workforce,” he continued.
Fox 25 reported, “Stitt also wants students to have to be accepted into a college. If not college, he says kids should be accepted into a CareerTech. Otherwise, Stitt says a student would have to be going into the army.”
Stitt admitted in his X post that there would be “reformed high school graduation requirements” but said those “[allowed] greater flexibility to study on a college or career readiness track.” Fox 25 quoted Stitt as saying, “You have to have some kind of plan post-graduation to go get a great job.”
Unsurprisingly, Stitt faced a fair amount of backlash to his new plan.
Many were incredulous when they learned of the new Oklahoma law, not understanding how students could be mandated to either further their education or join the military.
“So this new ‘plan’ of yours will make state universities and trade schools free to apply and attend?” one X user asked. “Because this seems awfully fishy to me, like forcing kids that can’t afford those options without financial assistance to go into the military.”
Officials held similar sentiments. Joe Dorman, a former lawmaker who is now part of the Oklahoma Institute for Child Advocacy, spoke with Fox 25 regarding the law. “There are children out there that are not capable,” he argued. “You’ll have children with special needs, and other categories. It will be difficult for them to be able to move into the workforce.”
Teresa Kaye Newman of Newman Music Academy also offered her two cents on TikTok. She admitted that the plan “sounds great” in theory but falls apart in execution.
“Ask me if there are any exceptions for students with special needs in this program currently,” she said. “No, there are not.”
“What if your kid wants to be an independent artist or musician?” she asked. “Or go to Hollywood to try and make it in movies or television? Or be an entrepreneur with a little bit of money they saved up? All of that is off the table unless you’re a one percenter.”
“Something about that smells like institutionalization and forced labor to me,” she concluded.
Not every student is meant to attend college, trade school, or join the military.
According to CNBC Make It, one in three job descriptions no longer include some kind of college degree requirements.
Armin Rimoldi | Pexels
Furthermore, Bankrate reported that attending an in-state university typically costs around $27,940 a year when considering tuition, room and board, and various other costs that come with college attendance. For out-of-state students, it increases to $42,240.
It doesn’t make sense to force students to attend college or face compulsory military service when there are perfectly good jobs that don’t require college degrees, and college is so expensive.
This program not only unfairly targets low-income students but also students with special needs and disabilities. While this program was likely created with good intentions, it just isn’t going to work.
Mary-Faith Martinez is a writer with a bachelor’s degree in English and Journalism who covers news, psychology, lifestyle, and human interest topics.