Lawton Public Schools Board Seat Filing Period Opening Soon

The Board of Education of Lawton Public School District hereby announces that statutorily qualified individuals interested in running as a candidate for the #2 seat on the Lawton Board of Education may file to run as a candidate for this seat at the Comanche County Election Board between the hours of 8 a.m. and close of business on each of the following days: Monday, December 6 through Wednesday, December 8, 2021.

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A primary election shall be held on February 8, 2022, if three or more candidates file for the position. A general election shall be held on April 5, 2022 if only two candidates file for the position, or if no candidate in the primary election receives more than 50% of the votes cast.\r\n

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Polling places shall be open from 7 a.m.-7 p.m., and the position has a five-year term of office post-election.\r\n

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Seat #2, currently held by Patty Neuwirth, covers precincts 3, 8, 11, and 15 – the coverage is shown on the Board of Education Area Map which can be found by clicking HERE.

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Eligibility requirements are as follows:\r\n

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To be eligible to be a candidate for member of the board of education of a school district, a person must have resided in the district for at least six months preceding the first day of the filing period, and have been a registered voter registered with the county election board at an address located within the geographical boundaries of the district for six months preceding the first day of the filing period. In school districts that have been divided into election districts, a candidate must have resided in the district for six months preceding the first day of the filing period and have been a registered voter registered with the county election board at an address located within the geographical boundaries of the election district for six months preceding the first day of the filing period.\r\n

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No person shall be eligible to be a candidate for or elected to be a member of the board of education of a school district unless the person has been awarded a high school diploma or certificate of high school equivalency.\r\n

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A person who has been convicted of a misdemeanor involving embezzlement or a felony under the laws of this state or of the United States or who has entered a plea of guilty or nolo contendere to such misdemeanor involving embezzlement or felony or who has been convicted of a crime in another state which would have been a misdemeanor involving embezzlement or a felony under the laws of this state or has entered a plea of guilty or nolo contendere to such crime shall not be eligible to be a candidate for or be elected to any school board office for a period of fifteen years following completion of his sentence or during the pendency of an appeal of such conviction or plea.

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No person shall be eligible to be a candidate for or serve on a board of education if he or she is currently employed by the school district governed by the board of education or is related within the second degree by affinity or consanguinity to any other member of the board of education or to any employee of the school district. The following are relatives within the second degree: A candidate’s spouse, child, parent, grandchild, grandparent, brother, sister, spouse’s child, spouse’s grandchild, spouse’s brother, spouse’s sister, spouse’s grandparent, grandchild’s spouse, parent’s spouse, and child’s spouse. The prohibitions in this paragraph shall not apply if the board member candidate is related within the second degree of affinity or consanguinity to an individual employed as a substitute teacher by the school district or as a temporary substitute support employee if the school district has an Average Daily Membership of less than five thousand (5,000).

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Candidates must affirm that upon being elected as a new member of the Board of Education, within fifteen (15) months of election, they will complete at least twelve (12) hours of instruction on education issues, including school finance, Oklahoma education laws, and ethics, duties and responsibilities of district board of education members. Three (3) of these twelve (12) credits must be earned as follows: one (1) credit in ethics, one (1) credit in open meeting act and open records act, and one (1) credit in school finance. Incumbents must affirm that they will complete six (6) hours of instruction within fifteen (15) months of election emphasizing changes in school law. Three (3) of these six (6) credits must be earned as follows: one (1) credit in ethics, one (1) credit in open meeting act and open records act, and one (1) credit in school finance.\r\n