Oklahoma

Oklahoma public school students could soon earn credit through ‘Satanic Temple Academy’

Published

2 years ago

June 4, 2024

Oklahoma public school students could soon earn credit through ‘Satanic Temple Academy’

OKLAHOMA CITY (KSWO) – The Satanic Temple is once again announcing plans for the Sooner State after a bill was sent to the governor’s desk which could allow students to receive class credits for religious and moral instruction off school campuses.

House Bill 1425 would force school districts to adopt a policy which allows students to go off-campus to attend a religious or moral instruction course taught by an independent entity. The student would be allowed to miss up to three class periods per week to attend such a course.

Instructors of these courses would not need to be licensed or certified teachers.

The bill’s language also states students would not be able to miss classes at their school in which the subject matter is open to assessment requirements. The student’s parents or guardians would have to provide written consent in order for the student to take the outside course.

School district funds, other than administrative costs, would not be involved in the outside instruction, according to the bill.

In response to the bill being one step away from becoming the state’s newest law, The Satanic Temple is highlighting their own learning academy that Oklahoma students could use to possibly earn school credit.

In a post on social media, the religious group stated their Hellion Academy of Independent Learning (HAIL) could soon be available for Oklahoma students.

“The Satanic Temple believes that public schools should be free from religious influence,” the post said. “We are, however, prepared to ensure our members’ children receive the same opportunities as those participating in other religion’s programs. By not vetoing HB 1425, Governor Stitt will allow the state to grant elective credit for religious and morality classes taught by The Satanic Temple, making it possible for parents to invite TST’s HAIL program to their local public schools as soon as this fall.”

The post ended with the group asking if Oklahoma Governor Kevin Stitt will be the first to award school credit for courses taught by The Satanic Temple.

In order for the course to be considered for credit, the course would have to evaluated based on the following secular criteria:

The amount of classroom instruction time;
The course syllabus, which reflects the course requirements and any materials used in the course;
Methods of assessment used in the course; and
The qualifications of the course instructor.

While The Satanic Temple does not believe in the actual existence of Satan or even the supernatural, they do consider themselves a religion that is divorced from superstition. The group is even already a federally recognized religious organization.

Their seven fundamental tenets are the following:

Tenet Number	Tenet Language
1	One should strive to act with compassion and empathy toward all creatures in accordance with reason.
2	The struggle for justice is an ongoing and necessary pursuit that should prevail over laws and institutions.
3	One’s body is inviolable, subject to one’s own will alone.
4	The freedoms of others should be respected, including the freedom to offend. To willfully and unjustly encroach upon the freedoms of another is to forgo one’s own.
5	Beliefs should conform to one’s best scientific understanding of the world. One should take care never to distort scientific facts to fit one’s beliefs.
6	People are fallible. If one makes a mistake, one should do one’s best to rectify it and resolve any harm that might have been caused.
7	Every tenet is a guiding principle designed to inspire nobility in action and thought. The spirit of compassion, wisdom, and justice should always prevail over the written or spoken word.

This bill is aimed at public schools, and there is a provision within the it stating charter schools would not be affected by the measure.

Found out how your Southwest-based elected officials voted on this bill below:

Elected Official	Vote
Rep. Boles (R-Marlow)	Against
Rep. Trey Caldwell (R-Lawton)	Against
Rep. Hasenbeck (R-Elgin)	For
Rep. Kendrix (R-Altus)	For
Rep. McEntire (R-Duncan)	Against
Rep. Pae (R-Lawton)	Against
Rep. Worthen (R-Lawton)	Against
Sen. Deevers (R-Elgin)	For
Sen. Garvin (R-Duncan)	For
Sen. Howard (R-Altus)	For
Sen. Jech (R-Kingfisher)	For
Sen. Kidd (R-Waurika)	For

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Oklahoma

Oklahoma Sooners and the Oklahoma State Cowboys play in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

Published

6 hours ago

December 12, 2025

Press Room

Oklahoma Sooners and the Oklahoma State Cowboys play in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

Oklahoma State Cowboys (9-0) vs. Oklahoma Sooners (6-3)

Oklahoma City; Saturday, 1 p.m. EST

BOTTOM LINE: Oklahoma takes on Oklahoma State at Paycom Center in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.

The Sooners are 6-3 in non-conference play. Oklahoma is 1-0 in games decided by less than 4 points.

The Cowboys are 9-0 in non-conference play. Oklahoma State ranks eighth in the Big 12 with 16.9 assists per game led by Jaylen Curry averaging 5.1.

Oklahoma averages 84.7 points, 8.3 more per game than the 76.4 Oklahoma State gives up. Oklahoma State scores 16.3 more points per game (91.3) than Oklahoma gives up to opponents (75.0).

TOP PERFORMERS: Nijel Pack is scoring 17.2 points per game with 3.0 rebounds and 3.0 assists for the Sooners. Tae Davis is averaging 13.3 points and 6.8 rebounds while shooting 53.3%.

Vyctorius Miller is averaging 15.9 points for the Cowboys. Parsa Fallah is averaging 14.6 points.

___

The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.

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Oklahoma

Oklahoma Sooners 2026 Football Schedule Revealed

Published

18 hours ago

December 11, 2025

Press Room

Oklahoma Sooners 2026 Football Schedule Revealed

The Oklahoma Sooners are trying to finish the 2025 college football season with a championship run that begins with a first-round playoff matchup with the Alabama Crimson Tide on Dec. 19 in Norman. After a 10-2 season, the Sooners found out during the SEC schedule reveal when they’ll play their 2026 opponents.

New to the SEC schedule this year is a nine-game conference slate. Also, Oklahoma will begin at least a four-year stretch with permanent rivals Texas, Missouri, and Ole Miss.

The Sooners open the season with nonconference matchups against UTEP, Michigan, and New Mexico. Michigan will be breaking in a new head coach after the surprising dismissal of Sherrone Moore.

Oklahoma will go on the road for their first conference game, taking on the defending SEC champion Georgia Bulldogs on Sept. 26. That marks the first time the Sooners will play in Athens for the first time in the history of the program. The Bulldogs own the only win in the series, which came in the infamous 2017 Rose Bowl. If the Sooners were to play the Dawgs in the 2025 College Football Playoff, it would come in the national championship game.

After the trip to Georgia, Oklahoma will have its only bye week of the season before facing the Texas Longhorns in the Red River Showdown on Oct. 10 in the Cotton Bowl in Dallas, Texas. The Sooners will return home to play the Kentucky Wildcats on Oct. 17. Kentucky will have a first-time head coach in Will Stein, leading the Wildcats to Norman for the first time since 1980.

Then, Oklahoma will go to Starkville to take on former offensive coordinator Jeff Lebby and the Mississippi State Bulldogs on Oct. 24 before closing the month welcoming another former assistant in Shane Beamer and the South Carolina Gamecocks on Oct. 31.

Then begins the month that will decide the Sooners’ College Football Playoff fates. They’ll open November with a road trip to the Swamp to take on the Florida Gators on Nov. 7. The last time the Sooners took on the Gators, Oklahoma earned a 55-20 win in the 2020 Alamo Bowl.

The Sooners will then return home on Nov. 14 to take on the Ole Miss Rebels in Norman for the second year in a row. Oklahoma lost a heartbreaker to the Rebels at the end of October, but that gave way to a magical November run that catapulted the Sooners into the College Football Playoff.

After the Rebels come to town, the Sooners will welcome the Texas A&M Aggies on Nov. 21. Texas A&M hasn’t been to Norman since a 41-25 win by Oklahoma. Landry Jones threw for 255 yards and two touchdowns, and Blake Bell ran for two scores out of the Belldozer package.

The Sooners will then close the season on the road against the Missouri Tigers. The former Big 8 and Big 12 foes have split their two contests as members of the SEC, each team winning at home. Oklahoma owns a decisive 68-25-5 record over the Tigers dating back to 1902.

There will be big expectations for the Sooners coming off of a 10-2 season and a College Football Playoff berth. They’ll bring back a lot of talent from this year’s roster, but 2026 will provide new challenges.

Oklahoma Sooners 2026 Schedule

Sept. 5 vs. UT-El Paso Miners in Norman, Okla.
Sept. 12 at Michigan Wolverines in Ann Arbor, Michigan
Sept. 19 vs. New Mexico Lobos in Norman, Okla.
Sept. 26 at Georgia Bulldogs in Athens, Georgia
Oct. 3 BYE WEEK
Oct. 10 vs. Texas Longhorns in Cotton Bowl in Dallas, Texas
Oct. 17 vs. Kentucky Wildcats in Norman, Okla.
Oct. 24 at Mississippi State Bulldogs in Starkville, Miss.
Oct. 31 vs. South Carolina Gamecocks in Norman, Okla.
Nov. 7 at Florida Gators in Gainesville, Fla.
Nov. 14 vs. Ole Miss Rebels in Norman, Okla.
Nov. 21 vs. Texas A&M Aggies in Norman, Okla.
Nov. 28 at Missouri Tigers in Columbia, Missouri

Contact/Follow us @SoonersWire on X, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Oklahoma news, notes, and opinions. You can also follow John on X @john9williams.

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Oklahoma

Oklahoma’s Tate Sandell on CFP, Groza Award: ‘This Is What Eighth-Grade Me Dreamed Of’

Published

1 day ago

December 11, 2025

Press Room

Oklahoma’s Tate Sandell on CFP, Groza Award: ‘This Is What Eighth-Grade Me Dreamed Of’

NORMAN — To say that Oklahoma’s Tate Sandell has become a legitimate weapon for the College Football Playoff-bound Sooners would be putting it lightly.

The Sooners’ dynamite placekicker has already wrapped up First Team All-SEC honors and Special Teams Player of the Year in the conference.

Now, Sandell hopes to check a few more boxes off his wish list as early as Friday.

“It’s what me in eighth grade dreamed of in high school,” Sandell said on Wednesday when asked about the season he’s had. “These are all things you think about when you’re lying in bed, like, this is really happening. This is something that you work for, and it’s just such a blessing.”

Sandell is 23-of-24 on field goals this season — hitting 23 in a row since he missed his first kick of the season against Michigan. Not only is this consistency a school record at OU, but it’s a single-season record in the SEC as well.

Sandell has had a busy week already. He’s been jetting around the country doing community events for the Lou Groza Award — the coveted trophy that goes the the nation’s best kicker every season. He will find out Friday night if he will take the award home during the Home Depot College Football Awards show (ESPN, 6 p.m.).

Should Sandell win, he will become the first Sooner kicker to win the award.

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“That’d be great, but it’s not in my hands,” Sandell said. “That’s not what I set out to win this season; it’s just to win games and make kicks, and that’s just a byproduct of our work. If that happens, that’s great.”

Sandell is up for the award against Hawaii kicker Kansei Matsuzawa and Georgia Tech’s Aidan Birr. Each kicker has their résumé that demands respect, yet it appears that Sandell is the favorite to win.

The University of Texas-San Antonio transfer did it in big moments in ballyhooed environments. Sandell’s four field goals, where he made three 50-plus yarders — 55, 51 and 55 — was a Neyland Stadium record So was the distance. Oklahoma’s “Red November” run, in large part, was aided by Sandell’s big leg.

“My swing is my swing,” Sandell said. “I’m not going to try to be somebody I’m not or swing like I’m not. I’m not going to swing out of my shoes. I’m going to give myself the best opportunity to make the kick as possible, and if it goes in, great. If it’s not, then it is what it is.”

“Another guy that’s a team guy, hasn’t flinched,” said head coach Brent Venables. “He’s been Boomer Sooner since the moment he signed his contract. And then he’s been just a stud when it comes to leading and just being a really good teammate.”

Oklahoma kicker Tate Sandell | Carson Field, Sooners On SI

Humble he may be, but the Groza Award would be a cherry on top for any college kicker. Still, Sandell’s main focus is on Oklahoma’s rematch with Alabama on Dec. 19.

And yet, Oklahoma’s placekicker is not short on confidence — in himself, or his team.

“For us, it’s not about who we play,” Sandell said. “If we play our brand of football, we can compete with anybody in the country.”

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