Two action alerts for this week!
You may have seen news of other state governors signing executive orders to protect their state from incoming vaccination passports and mandates. We are asking Governor Stitt to sign a similar executive order.
The pandemic response must not create two classes of people in Oklahoma, and citizens must not be discriminated against because of their personal medical decisions..
Click the button to read and sign the petition, and then share the link with your friends and family!
The second action alert is to contact your senator and ask them to support SB 658. This bill has already passed out of the Senate once, but because it was amended in the House it must be heard one last time in the Senate before it goes to the Governor’s desk to be signed.
SB 658 requires school districts to provide vaccine exemption information to parents when sending out notices about vaccinations. Why is this needed now? With a covid-19 vaccine requirement expected soon, parents need to know their opt-out rights. Only 5-10% of schools actually share the entire law! This bill also includes limitations for schools that are mandating masks and a method for parents to challenge these mandates. Read the latest version of the bill here. It may also be helpful to look up how your senator voted on SB 658 when it was first heard in the senate. Check the Senate votes here.
Step 1: Open an email and address it to kim.david@oksenate.gov. Senator Kim David is the Senate majority floor leader and can decide what bills get heard. Send her a short and polite email asking her to please add SB 658 to the floor agenda. If she is your Senator, please include that you are a constituent.
Step 2: If you do not know who your Senator is, use this link to identify your State Senator. After you enter your address you MUST scroll down to where it says “State Senate”
Step 2: Open an email and address it to your State Representative. His/her email will follow the ‘firstname.lastname@oksenate.
Step 3: In the subject line type “FROM YOUR CONSTITUENT: Yes on SB 658”
Step 4: Write a short and polite email about why you support this bill. You may use the sample email that is included below as a guide, but please change things to make it your own. Do not just copy and paste because that is not as impactful. The opposition is calling this an ‘unfunded mandate’ so please be sure to address this misinformation. Include your stories and screenshots (if you have them) of misleading school enrollment announcements and how mask mandates at school have affected your children.
Step 5: End your email with your name and full address.
Sample Email:
Hi Senator,
Hope you are doing well!! I wanted to take a moment to ask you to vote yes on SB 658 on the senate floor.
This bill is a simple common-sense measure that requires schools to inform parents that vaccine exemptions are an option when sending out notices involving vaccination requirements. This is NOT an unfunded mandate, as you might be told by some. It simply requires the school to add a few extra words to notices that they are already sending. For example, instead of saying “vaccination records are required for school enrollment”, the notice might say “vaccination records are required for school enrollment unless a vaccine exemption is on file.” This has no fiscal impact on our schools.
Overall, a yes on the bill gives choice to parents on masks and vaccines which is a win for health choice and parent rights.
Thank you for your time,
Name
Address