April 24th Friday Focus- Tracking the Policies Shaping Oklahoma’s Classrooms and Kids.
The legislative calendar just hit a major checkpoint at the Capitol. As of Thursday, April 23, every bill still in play had to clear its remaining committee stops or it failed to advance.
Now the process shifts gears. For the next couple of weeks, it’s all about floor action, with each chamber taking up the other’s legislation—House bills on the Senate floor, Senate bills on the House floor.
That phase wraps up with a key deadline on May 7, when work on bills in the opposite chamber must be finished. From there, the countdown is on to Sine Die—the constitutional end of session—set for May 29 this year. However, the rumor mill has it that they will gavel out sooner than that so they can get on with campaigning for the June 16th primary elections.
Visit our Bill Tracker page here to get a comprehensive list of all the Education Bills which are still alive and kicking!
Key Education Bills Signed by Governor
The following bills that we have been following have been signed into law:SB1481 - Senator Ally Seifried (R-Claremore)- MORE RECESS (SUPPORT)- a priority bill we have been focused on supporting all session, this bill will increase required recess time from 20 minutes to 40 minutes and prohibits removal of recess as a punishment. Bringing Oklahoma's recess time in line with our neighboring states, this bill matters because it protects a basic part of childhood that directly impacts learning and behavior. Doubling recess time gives kids more opportunity to move, reset, and come back to class ready to focus—something especially important for younger students and those who struggle to sit still all day. Just as importantly, banning the use of recess as punishment ensures that the students who need that break the most aren’t the ones losing it. In short: more recess = better focus, better behavior, and a healthier school environment for everyone. This change has been 4 years in the making, and we are excited to see it finally get over the line! Thank you to everyone who helped us advocate for this bill! CLICK HERE TO SEE THE LIVE VOTE REACTION FROM KIDS!
SB1778 - Senator Adam Pugh (R-Edmond) & House Speaker Kyle Hilbert (R-Depew) - LITERACY INTERVENTION/REFORM (OPPOSE) - amends the Strong Readers Act, reinstating 3rd grade retention based off of state testing outcome. We will highlight more details about this bill next week, as we are still in the process of doing a deep dive into the policy to break it down in a detailed way. In a nutshell, there are a LOT of serious issues with the literacy reform signed into law. Stay tuned until next week.
SB1733 - Senator Kristen Thompson (R-Deer Creek) - STUDENT SEXUAL ASSAULT REPORTING (SUPPORT) - requires all school staff (public and private) to report any suspected student sexual abuse to an independent law enforcement agency within 24 hours, before the school starts its own investigation. It makes clear the report must go to outside police (not just a school officer), protects the identity of the person reporting, and prevents schools from taking certain actions until law enforcement is notified. Staff must also sign yearly that they understand this responsibility. This is a major win for increasing a safe environment for kids!
ADDITIONAL NOTE - Governor Kevin Stitt vetoed a bill this week that would have extended the Oklahoma Advisory Council on Indian Education. This is an incredibly disappointing setback for our Native American students in Oklahoma.
Bills Waiting for Floor Hearing
HB3674 - Rep. Melissa Provenzano (D-Tulsa) - STUDENT SEXUAL ASSAULT REPORTING (SUPPORT) - mandates that all reports of sexual assault occurring within schools must be reported to a law enforcement agency, and school districts must ensure their school resource officers (SROs) have completed specific training related to sexual assault and sexual violence. (May not be heard now that SB1733 passed).
HB3885 - Rep. Josh Cantrell (R-Kingston) - DISCIPLINE (OPPOSED) - mandates school suspensions and expulsions for students in grades 3-5 who assault, attempt to cause physical bodily injury, or act in a manner that could reasonably cause bodily injury to a school employee or volunteer. We support the policy intent of providing protection for educators. However, in its current form, this bill does nothing to address the needs of the students or the root causes of the negative behavior. We look forward to continuing to push for strengthening of this bill in the near future to include provisions to provide counseling and mental health services for kids while they are out of the classroom in an effort to lessen the behaviors upon return.
HB4326 - Rep. Anthony Moore (R-Clinton) - OHLAP EXPANSION (SUPPORT) - expands the Oklahoma Higher Learning Access Program (OHLAP) to include admission to Career Tech programs and inclusion of children who are adopted/foster kids. It also expands the qualifications for children of "educators" to include alternatively certified teachers, tech center teachers, full-time counselors, librarians, school nurses, or athletic trainers. It also cleans up definitions of "10 years of service".
HB3467 - Rep. Brad Boles (R-Marlow) - MATERNITY LEAVE (SUPPORT) - expands paid maternity leave for certain full-time education employees in Oklahoma to include the adoption of a child, provided the child is under four years old, and clarifies that this leave must be taken immediately following the adoption.
HB4427 &SB1614 -TEACHER CERTIFICATION (SUPPORT) - strengthen requirements for adjunct teachers.
SB1546 - Inspired to Teach Program Expansion - increases the scholarship amounts available to aspiring teachers in Oklahoma.
HB3671 & SB1317 - expand the definition of a "career teacher" for evaluation purposes.
SB1204 - Sen. Mark Mann (D-OKC) - BEREVEMENT LEAVE (SUPPORT) - requires school districts to provide three days of paid bereavement leave to teachers and support personnel employees following the death of their spouse or child, which also includes leave for a miscarriage.
HB3151 - Rep. Rob Hall (R-Tulsa) - SCHOOL CALENDAR EXPANSION (OPPOSE ) increases the minimum number of instructional days required for schools without adequately addressing the additional funding needed to do so.
Bills That Didn't Survive
HB3638 – Summer EBT Implementation - would have created a pathway for Oklahoma to participate in the federal Summer EBT program beginning in 2027, helping ensure 55,000 kids have access to food when school meals are unavailable. Also infuses $75M of federal dollars into local grocery stores and community economies. Despite sailing through the House, Senator Paul Rosino (chair of Senate Health and Human Services Committee) did not give the bill a hearing. Thank you to our advocates who wrote in on this bill! We are not giving up...stay tuned for more on this initiave in the future.
HB 3240 - Mandating Prayer in Schools - would have required school districts to adopt a policy that provides students and employees with an opportunity to participate in a period of prayer and reading of religious texts on each school day. Students and teachers already have the freedom to do this during the school day.
HJR1055 - State Superintendent Changes - would have changed how the State Superintendent of Public Instruction is selected and removed - instead of elected, they would be appointed by the Governor. This HJR would create a state question to put to the vote of the people.
SB1250 & HB2978 - Book Bans - would have removed local control surrounding library media selection.
Friday Focus is a weekly legislative update from Advance Oklahoma’s Kids, a project of Oklahoma Appleseed Center for Law & Justice, tracking policies impacting students and families across Oklahoma.
House & Senate Floor Agendas & Livestreams
Advance Oklahoma’s Kids is a coalition led by organizations, parents, and students who are working to make Oklahoma's public schools more equitable and ensure they’re fully funded.
Our B.O.O.K. (Better Outcomes for Oklahoma's Kids) Policy Initiative calls on Oklahomans to set aside partisanship to deliver a bold, realistic agenda for Oklahoma's public schools. We will inspire Oklahomans to work together toward advancing 16 policy recommendations across four themes: Strengthening the Teaching Profession, Ensuring Adequate Resources, Improving Student Performance, and Creating Healthy, Safe and Supportive School Environments. With over 700,000 students depending on public education, B.O.O.K. lays out a roadmap to strengthening our schools and securing better outcomes for every Oklahoma child.
Oklahoma Appleseed Center for Law & Justice
Oklahoma Instititute for Child Advocacy
Generation Citizen
Oklahoma Rural Schools Coalition
Restorative Justice Institute of Oklahoma
My Brother’s Keeper