I recently watched a Facebook video showing a student at El Reno Public Schools throwing objects at another student while walking down a flight of stairs. The behavior continued outside the building as the students walked down the sidewalk. The person who posted the video said the intent was to expose the student’s behavior, and many comments were derogatory toward both the student and the school.
The educator in me disagrees with publicly shaming a child, regardless of how inappropriate the behavior might be. We also cannot know from a video what disciplinary actions the school may have taken.
However, the parent and grandparent in me understands the frustration with an educational system that often seems more concerned with protecting the rights of disruptive students than protecting teachers’ and other students’ right to a safe, orderly learning environment.
Public schools face a difficult balancing act when addressing student behavior. They must educate every student, including those with significant behavioral challenges. That obligation serves an important societal purpose. But when a child is repeatedly bullied, threatened, or prevented from learning because of another student’s behavior, the system is not adequately serving that child.
Parents should not have to sacrifice their child’s educational experience to accommodate another student’s behavioral challenges.
Public schools have disciplinary options, including suspension and alternative placements, but legal requirements and institutional responsibilities can complicate decisions about removing students from classrooms. Private schools generally have greater authority to establish behavioral expectations and permanently remove students who refuse to meet them.
That distinction matters to families who value orderly classrooms and a school culture that prioritizes learning.
Research supports these considerations. EdChoice’s 2026 Schooling in America survey found that safety was the leading reason private school, charter school, and homeschool parents gave for choosing their educational setting.
I suspect many families currently choosing charter schools or homeschooling would also consider private education if appropriate schools were available and affordable. Unfortunately, private school capacity and tuition costs remain significant barriers for many Oklahoma families.
This is where Oklahoma can help.
For FY27, the state authorized up to $275 million in private school tuition tax credits through the Parental Choice Tax Credit program. At the same time, it provided approximately $4.21 billion in state funding for common education programs.
Beginning January 1, 2027, the new Federal Scholarship Tax Credit will also allow taxpayers to receive a federal tax credit for qualifying contributions to scholarship-granting organizations. Oklahoma has already elected to participate.
Together, these programs create an opportunity to expand educational choices for Oklahoma families. The state should actively promote the federal program, encourage the development of scholarship organizations, and consider additional increases in the Parental Choice Tax Credit to support the expansion of private school capacity.
I’ve argued before that schools are systems, and we should support those that produce results. Academic outcomes matter, but they should not be the only measure of an effective school. Safety, student behavior, classroom order, and the opportunity to learn without constant disruption also matter.
Private school students often outperform their public school counterparts on academic measures, although much of that advantage is associated with differences in student populations and family circumstances. I am not suggesting that private schools necessarily have better teachers or provide better instruction.
Rather, I believe the structure of private education can offer advantages that public schools sometimes struggle to replicate, particularly in establishing and enforcing behavioral expectations.
This is not an argument for abandoning students with serious behavioral challenges. They deserve an education, appropriate services, and opportunities to succeed.
But their right to an education should not come at the expense of another child’s right to learn in a safe and orderly classroom.
As a lifelong public school educator, I recognize the difficult responsibilities our schools carry. As a grandparent, I also believe families should have meaningful alternatives when those schools cannot provide the environment their children need.
A family’s financial circumstances should not determine whether their child can escape a chronically disruptive learning environment.
Oklahoma has an opportunity to make those alternatives more accessible. We should take it.
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