Month: September 2021

As President Biden has announced sweeping vaccine mandates for the majority of Americans we wanted to republish a list of resources and tips for any employee who is facing a vaccine mandate as a condition of employment.

Get connected with OKHPR!

The first step is to become a member at OKHPR. If you are a healthcare professional, sign up as a health care professional at okhpr.com so that we can continue to send you targeted action alerts, invite you to exclusive events, and stay in touch about lawsuits and exemption options.

Watch OKHPR’s Emergency townhall where we discussed a number of different issues with a panel of speakers including legislators, attorneys, and doctors.

Legislative Resources

Find your elected officials (after entering your information, scroll all the way to the bottom) and call the governor (405-521-2342), your state representative, and state senator. Tell them that you are a constituent and you are asking them to take up this issue as soon as possible. This is an emergency situation that needs to be addressed. Make sure your elected representatives also understand that exemptions for employees are not codified in law in Oklahoma like they are for school children. Employers do not have to offer or accept exemptions for medical or religious reasons!

Then look up the elected representatives for your workplace, church, and school. If it is different from the elected representatives at your home address, give them a call as well! Tell them that you work/ attend church/ go to school in their district and you are asking that they take up this issue as soon as possible.

Communicating with your employer

We recommend that you attempt to file an exemption if your employer is offering one.

Step 1. You’ll need to know your employer’s process for exemption. Once your employer publishes the exemption process and requirements, then you will be able to apply. Usually, employers provide a form to be filled out and signed by either you or a religious leader or both. Most times a personal narrative or explanation of beliefs is required. Sometimes they also request, or it is good to have, a religious leader’s certification of beliefs. Each employer is different.

If you need a minister to sign a religious exemption, the following ministers have reached out to us and are willing to sign exemptions. Click here for the minister list. You can also find samples of religious exemptions here. Another resource is called Freedom of Religion. They have provided religious exemption samples on their website here.

1. Document absolutely everything with your employer. Be sure to document all of your inquiries and communication with your employer in writing.

BCC your private email account of ALL emails communication with your employer.

If you have verbal communications with your employer regarding your desire not to be coerced into taking the vaccine, send a follow-up email to the person with whom you had the conversation. “Per our conversation, I understand the following … etc. This is called a CYA email.

When having a conversation with your employer, you can record that conversation with your smartphone.  “Oklahoma is a “one-party consent” state. This means that if the recording party is part of the conversation, it is legal for him or her to record. On the other hand, it is illegal to record a conversation between people who are unaware of the recording if you are not a party to the conversation (wiretapping someone’s phone line, for example).”

When recording an employer, put your phone on “airplane mode”. (If you get a random call during a recording, it will pause the recording.

2. Be polite, be kind, but demand answers.

3. Ask in writing all of your questions. We have compiled a number of different questions in these templates from our legal team to ask questions about the mandate. Please do not cut and paste the letter verbatim. It is recommended that you read the document and place the questions in your own words in your own language. It is encouraged that you remove questions that you don’t wish to include and (more importantly) add questions that you have that are more tailored to your specific employment.

4. Tell them you have private medical reasons on why you do not want the vaccine and ask if there is there an exemption process.

5. Be sure in your correspondence that you say that you are uncomfortable with this mandate and you feel they are forcing you to make a personal medical decision. Communicate that you are not comfortable sharing your personal medical information.

7. Let your employer know you want to keep your job.

8. Most importantly….DO NOT QUIT YOUR JOB! Wait for them to fire you.

Military Accommodation Guides

This website has an extensive list of resources for members of our military

Additional Resource for Federal Employees

Please see Federal Practice Group for an additional resource specifically for Federal Employees.

From The Roar Release #13 – Dated 9/13/2021

As many of you know, last week a district judge granted a temporary injunction to allow schools to institute a mask mandate for students. However, schools must allow students to opt-out. This week, an injunction was filed stating that parents DO NOT have to use an opt-out form provided by the school district. Some schools are drafting opt-out forms which are confusing, lengthy, or contain language that places liability on parents for illness. Read the full injunction here. It now states that parents can file any exemption that is consistent with title 70. The exemption form in title 70 is the vaccine exemption form that can be found on our website under resources. You can simply model your form after that one or create one similar, BUT ANY WRITTEN STATEMENT will do.

Oklahoma Title 70 says: “1. A certificate of a licensed physician as defined in Section 725.2 of Title 59 of the Oklahoma Statutes, stating that the physical condition of the child is such that…
OR
2. A written statement by the parent, guardian or legal custodian of the child objecting to …whereupon the child shall be exempt from the….”

OKHPR has created a mask exemption sample form that is modeled after title 70. Please feel free to download and use this form OR create your own.

OK GOP Chairman John Bennett spoke about this issue earlier this week. We urge you to give it a listen! This is why SB 658 is being ignored. SB 658 is still a victory because thousands of parents have woken up! The Attorney General is looking at this matter and if not for SB 658 your schools would be requiring the vaccine too. No one ever said one bill would fix all issues. The root issue is who controls the schools. Keep fighting until that changes! You can file to run for your local school board in December!

Governor Kevin Stitt vows to “fight back” against President Biden’s “federal overreach” following the announcement that businesses with 100+ employees must require vaccinations or weekly testing.

Governor Stitt issued a statement that said, “It is not the government’s role to dictate to private businesses what to do. Once again President Biden is demonstrating his complete disregard for individual freedoms and states’ rights. As long as I am governor, there will be no government vaccine mandates in Oklahoma. My administration will continue to defend Oklahoma values and fight back against the Biden administration’s federal overreach.”

We are calling on Governor Kevin Stitt to issue an Executive Order to protect employees from mandates at all levels immediately and add this issue to the call for Special Session in November. Regardless, we will be there at OUR Oklahoma State Capitol on the first day of special session, November 15, ready to organize and rally for our freedom and against federal overreach!

Sign the petition and then share it with your friends!

If something is immoral, opposing it is moral.

If something is unconstitutional, opposing it is constitutional.

If something is unscientific, opposing it is scientific.

If something is illogical, opposing it is logical.

It’s time to stand up. Americans have to draw a line in the sand SOMEWHERE, and if it is not here… where is it? If you think the men in 1776 didn’t have families to feed, you’re wrong. Don’t hide behind your family to justify cowardice. Children need principles. They need a righteous example to follow. Women need men they respect. Family is why you lead, not why you follow.

You have to ask yourself how deep your conviction lies. You have to ask yourself what God has revealed to you and if you would be walking in disobedience to him. If the answer is yes, you need to faithfully trust that he will direct and guide you. For some of us that is going to mean walking away from careers that we have poured into for decades.

One final thought. Do not react quickly. Do not make a harsh decision. Be prayerful, be thoughtful. Don’t make any decisions out of panic or fear. Several states, including Oklahoma, have already announced that they will be fighting for the freedom of their citizens. There will be lawsuits. Our freedom has never been free. Although, to many modern-day Americans it has FELT free. The moment you surrender control of your body in order to participate in society you are no longer a free citizen.

Matthew 6:25-34

“Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life? And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith? So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.”

“It’s only a mask,” they said.
The next steps coming but please stop thinking in terms of just yourself. Think bigger! If the government can do this, what else can they do?

Join the fight in Oklahoma at okhpr.com

Save the Date: November 15, Oklahoma State Capitol

Last week an Oklahoma County District Judge granted a temporary injunction in the lawsuit over the parental rights bill SB 658 which prohibited public schools and universities from requiring students wear masks. This temporary injunction gave public schools the option to require masks IF they also offer exemptions. This is only a temporary order pending a hearing. The purpose of a temporary injunction is to maintain the status quo and prevent irreparable damage or change before the legal questions are determined.

So…

• Regarding masks, until a final ruling, schools that have been requiring masks must accept exemptions! (Even though they should not be requiring anyway).
• We understand that because parents can opt-out using exemptions that many consider it a win for parental rights.
• Our stance is that exemptions are not necessary if the law creates an optional or opt-in policy which SB658 clearly does. Optional is always a better policy than a “required with exemptions” policy because then you are justifying the requirement which the law does not do via SB658. The law clearly states masking is a choice or opt-in. This is why we can’t call it an official win!
• It seems the only issue the judge had is the distinction between public and private and not the local control issue.
• Ask your school for an exemption form. it is their job to provide it. Let us know if they don’t approve an exemption!
• We hope this helps. We know there is much misinformation on social media and both sides are claiming victory here. We will let you, the parents, decide that.
• The judge ruled that schools can’t require Covid-19 vaccine for attendance and enrollment.

Again, this is not the final ruling and no school can force your child to wear a mask. We will have to see what the final ruling will be as the case moves forward in the upcoming weeks.