Norman Public Schools elections (2015)
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One seat on the Norman Public Schools Board of Education was scheduled for general election on February 10, 2015. Office 5 incumbent Linda Sexton was the only candidate to file for the election which led to its cancellation.[1] This was the second consecutive unopposed election for the Norman Public Schools Board of Education.
About the district
- See also: Norman Public Schools, Oklahoma
Norman Public Schools is located in Norman, Okla., which is the county seat of Cleveland County. Cleveland County was home to an estimated 269,340 residents in 2013, according to the United States Census Bureau.[2] Norman Public Schools was the eighth-largest school district in Oklahoma, serving 15,022 students during the 2010-2011 school year.[3]
Demographics
Cleveland County outperformed the rest of Oklahoma in terms of higher education achievement, median household income and poverty rates in 2013. The United States Census Bureau found that 31.4 percent of its residents aged 25 years and older had attained a bachelor's degree compared to 23.5 percent for Oklahoma as a whole. The median household income in Cleveland County was $54,989 compared to $45,339 for the state of Oklahoma. The poverty rate in the county was 12.9 percent compared to 16.9 percent for the entire state.[2]
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Note: Percentages for race and ethnicity may add up to more than 100 percent because respondents may report more than one race and the Hispanic/Latino ethnicity may be selected in conjunction with any race. Read more about race and ethnicity in the census here.
Voter and candidate information
The Norman Board of Education consists of five members elected by geographic district to five-year terms with one seat up for regular election annually. There was no primary election, and the general election for the Office 5 was scheduled to be held on February 10, 2015.[5]
Candidates began to file affidavits of candidacy on December 1, 2014. The filing deadline for school board candidates to get on the ballot in the general election was December 3, 2014. The election was canceled after only one candidate filed for the seat.[6]
Elections
2015
Candidates
Office 5
- Linda Sexton
- Incumbent, first elected in 1990
Endorsements
There were no official endorsements in this election.
Campaign finance
No contributions or expenditures were reported during the election, according to the Oklahoma Ethics Commission.[7]
Past elections
Information about earlier elections can be found by clicking [show] at the right. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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2014Chad Vice was the only candidate to file for the Office 4 seat which led to the cancellation of the election. 2013
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What was at stake?
While residents did not face any ballot decision in the 2015 annual school election, the district has faced turmoil over charges of one student raping another.
Rape case and suspension
Students at Norman High School made allegations that they had been raped by other students in November 2014. While the police could not release details of the investigation as it was ongoing, the school district reported that the alleged perpetrator had been suspended for the rest of the school year.[8]
Nevertheless, many students felt the administration's actions were not sufficient. A Facebook group called "YES ALL Daughters" was formed to discuss the issues of bullying and sexual harassment at the school.[8] Students complained that female students were being "mocked out" of the school for having come forward about being raped. One student claimed that a female student was suspended due to the drugs that had been used to rape her. The district responded by saying that none of the victims had been punished for coming forward.[9]
In response to the perceived problems with the schools handling of the issue, students organized a walk out on November 24, 2014. The students presented a list of changes they wanted to see implemented at the school. The district's spokesperson said that some of the demands were already in place and that the district would be reviewing the others in addition to working on a curriculum specifically addressing sexual assault.[9]
On December 2, 2014, 18-year old Tristen Killman-Hardin was charged with two counts of first degree rape in instances involving an unconscious victim on September 19, 2014. The case alleges that the 16-year old victim had been drinking with friends and received a video next morning that depicted her being sexually assaulted in Killman-Hardin's car. The court documents also stated that the victim reported that Killman-Hardin admitted to having sex with the victim to her and a third party.[10]
The school district release the following statement in response to the arrest:
| “ | His status has not and will not change. He was notified on September 22 he was being suspended for the rest of the school year, and he won't be a student of Norman Public Schools ever again.
We aren't surprised by and are pleased that charges have been filed on him for a rape the charges indicate happened the evening of Friday, September 19. We have been fully cooperative with the Norman Police Department since the rape was reported to us by the alleged victim on Monday, September 22.[11] |
” |
| —Norman Public Schools (2014)[12] | ||
Key deadlines
The following dates were key deadlines for the election in 2015:[5][13]
| Deadline | Event |
|---|---|
| December 1-3, 2014 | Candidate filing period |
| January 16, 2015 | Voter registration closes |
| February 4, 2015 | Absentee ballot request deadline |
| February 5-6, 2015 | Early voting period |
| February 10, 2015 | General election date |
| April 30, 2015 | Campaign finance report deadline |
Additional elections on the ballot
- See also: Oklahoma elections, 2015
The statewide annual school election date was February 10, 2015. No other offices were scheduled for election on that date.
Recent news
The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms Norman Public Schools Oklahoma. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.
See also
| Norman Public Schools | Oklahoma | School Boards |
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External links
- Norman Public Schools
- Norman, Oklahoma
- Cleveland County Election Board
- YES ALL Daughters Facebook page
Footnotes
- ↑ Cleveland County Election Board, "Board of Education Candidate Filing," December 3, 2014
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 United States Census Bureau, Cleveland County, Oklahoma," accessed December 8, 2014
- ↑ National Center for Education Statistics, "ELSI Table Generator," accessed January 15, 2014
- ↑ Oklahoma State Election Board, "Voter Registration Reports," accessed December 12, 2014
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Oklahoma State Elections Board, "2015 Election Calendar," accessed December 5, 2014
- ↑ Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; no text was provided for refs namedcandidate - ↑ Oklahoma Ethics Commission, "Campaign Reporting Systems," accessed December 8, 2014
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 KOCO, "Norman High suspends student after rape allegations emerge," November 20, 2014
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 KOCO, "Norman school continues to face backlash over handling of rape allegations," November 24, 2014
- ↑ KOCO, "Former Norman High School student charged with rape," December 2, 2014
- ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; no text was provided for refs namedarrest - ↑ Oklahoma Ethics Commission, "Reporting Calendar," accessed December 5, 2014
| 2015 Norman Public Schools Elections | |
| Cleveland County, Oklahoma | |
| Election date: | February 10, 2015 - Canceled |
| Candidates: | Office 5: • Incumbent, Linda Sexton |
| Important information: | What was at stake? • Key deadlines • Additional elections on the ballot |
