Lax oversight of Gov. Stitt’s Bridge the Gap Digital Wallet program allowed parents to spend educational funds on TVs and other items. Oklahoma officials on Friday filed a lawsuit against ClassWallet, which it hired to handle the program.
A federal audit provides new insight into how Oklahoma failed to properly oversee $39.9 million in federal relief funds meant to support education amid school closures during the coronavirus pandemic.
An investigation by Oklahoma Watch and The Frontier found money for students spent on TVs and gaming consoles among other purchases.
An attorney for the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press says the state has given no valid reason to keep the report secret or delay its release.
Oklahoma gave a Florida company a no-bid contract to distribute $18 million in pandemic relief money as a test-run for school vouchers. Now federal investigators are eyeing the deal.
