1| STATE OF OKLAHOMA |
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2| 1st Session of the 59th Legislature (2023) |
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3|SENATE BILL 203 By: Garvin |
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4| |
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5| |
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6| AS INTRODUCED |
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7| An Act relating to schools; amending 70 O.S. 2021, |
| Section 1-109, which relates to the school year; |
8| modifying minimum number of days of instruction |
| required for districts that have adopted certain |
9| policy; removing certain school-hours policy option; |
| removing reference to requirements established by the |
10| State Board of Education for adoption of certain |
| school-hours policy; providing an effective date; and |
11| declaring an emergency. |
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12| |
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13| |
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14|BE IT ENACTED BY THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF OKLAHOMA: |
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15| SECTION 1. AMENDATORY 70 O.S. 2021, Section 1-109, is |
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16|amended to read as follows: |
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17| Section 1-109. A. For all public schools in Oklahoma, school |
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18|shall actually be in session and classroom instruction offered: |
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19| 1. For not less than one hundred eighty (180) days; or |
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20| 2. For not less than one thousand eighty (1,080) hours each |
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21|school year, if a district board of education adopts a school-hours |
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22|policy and notifies the State Board of Education prior to October 15 |
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23|of the applicable school year; or |
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24| |
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1| 3. Beginning with the 2021-2022 2023-2024 school year, for not |
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2|less than one thousand eighty (1,080) hours with a minimum of one |
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3|hundred sixty-five (165) one hundred fifty (150) days of instruction |
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4|each school year, if a district board of education adopts a |
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5|school-hours policy and notifies the State Board of Education prior |
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6|to October 15 of the applicable school year; or |
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7| 4. Beginning with the 2021-2022 school year, for not less than |
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8|one thousand eighty (1,080) hours each school year, if a district |
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9|board of education adopts a school-hours policy, notifies the State |
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10|Board of Education prior to October 15 of the applicable school year |
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11|and meets the requirements established by the State Board of |
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12|Education pursuant to subsection H of this section. |
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13| B. A school district may not count more than thirty (30) hours |
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14|each school year that are used for attendance of professional |
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15|meetings toward the one hundred eighty (180) days or one thousand |
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16|eighty (1,080) hours of classroom instruction time required in |
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17|subsection A of this section. |
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18| C. Teachers off contract with an employing district shall not |
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19|be required by the employing school district to attend professional |
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20|meetings unless the teacher is paid additional compensation for the |
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21|additional time. Teachers may be paid additional compensation for |
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22|attending professional meetings in excess of their contract term. |
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23|Subject to district board of education policy or collective |
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24|bargaining agreement, additional paid professional days may be |
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1|granted for individual teachers to attend or participate in |
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2|professional meetings, staff development training, or National Board |
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3|certification portfolio development as provided for in Section |
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4|6-204.2 of this title. |
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5| D. A school district may authorize parent-teacher conferences |
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6|to be held during a regular school day. If authorized by the school |
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7|district, parent-teacher conferences shall be counted as classroom |
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8|instruction time for no more than six (6) hours per semester, for a |
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9|total of twelve (12) hours per school year. |
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10| E. A school district may maintain school for less than a full |
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11|school year only when conditions beyond the control of school |
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12|authorities make the maintenance of the term impossible and the |
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13|State Board of Education has been apprised and has expressed |
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14|concurrence in writing. |
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15| F. The State Board of Education shall establish criteria for an |
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16|extended-day schedule for schools subject to paragraph 1 of |
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17|subsection A of this section. The criteria shall: |
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18| 1. Prescribe a lengthened school day within limits determined |
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19|not to be detrimental to quality instruction; |
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20| 2. Ensure that the schedule is equivalent in annual hours of |
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21|instruction to the one-hundred-eighty-day school year specified in |
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22|paragraph 1 of subsection A of this section; and |
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24| |
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1| 3. Be consistent with the provisions of this section and |
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2|Sections 1-111 and 1-112 of this title, but may result in fewer |
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3|annual days of instruction. |
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4| G. Notwithstanding the provisions of subsection F of this |
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5|section, a school district board of education subject to paragraph 1 |
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6|of subsection A of this section may adopt and implement an |
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7|extended-day schedule subject to the following requirements: |
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8| 1. The annual number of hours of instruction shall equal or |
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9|exceed one thousand eighty (1,080) hours, which is the equivalent of |
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10|one hundred eighty (180) days of instruction as specified in |
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11|subsection A of this section for six (6) hours each day as specified |
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12|in Section 1-111 of this title; |
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13| 2. The annual number of days of instruction shall equal or |
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14|exceed one hundred eighty (180) days as specified in subsection A of |
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15|this section; |
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16| 3. The schedule adopted shall be consistent with the provisions |
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17|of Sections 1-111 and 1-112 of this title, except that for not more |
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18|than one (1) day per week, a school day shall consist of not less |
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19|than five (5) hours devoted to academic instruction in a regular |
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20|classroom setting; |
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21| 4. The district shall hold a public hearing prior to the |
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22|adoption of an extended-day schedule authorized pursuant to this |
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23|subsection; and |
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1| 5. The district shall document the impact on student |
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2|achievement as determined by the academic performance data score and |
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3|any other relevant factors that are a result of implementation of an |
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4|extended-day schedule authorized pursuant to this subsection and |
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5|provide an annual report to the State Board of Education of the |
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6|results. If improvement in student achievement cannot be documented |
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7|in the report, the district board of education shall revoke |
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8|authorization as provided by this subsection. If the district does |
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9|not revoke authorization after student achievement is not documented |
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10|in the report, the State Board of Education may deny accreditation |
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11|of any school in violation of this subsection. |
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12| H. Beginning with the 2021-2022 school year, a school district |
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13|board of education may adopt a school-hours policy as provided for |
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14|by paragraph 4 of subsection A of this section only if it meets or |
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15|exceeds the minimum guidelines for student performance and school |
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16|district cost savings established by the State Board of Education. |
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17|The State Board of Education shall promulgate rules, subject to |
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18|approval by the Legislature, establishing the minimum guidelines for |
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19|student performance and school district cost savings. |
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20| I. If subject to paragraph 2 of subsection A of this section, a |
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21|district board of education or designee may elect to close a school |
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22|during the school day for inclement weather purposes. In such an |
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23|event, the number of hours incurred in classroom instruction time |
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1|prior to school closure shall be counted toward the one thousand |
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2|eighty (1,080) hours per year requirement. |
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3| J. I. Nothing in this section shall be construed as affecting |
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4|the right of an employing school district to require teachers as |
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5|defined in Section 6-101.3 of this title to work in excess of the |
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6|one thousand eighty (1,080) hours required for student instruction. |
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7|In addition, nothing in this section shall be construed to affect |
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8|the Fair Labor Standards Act status of any school district employee. |
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9| K. J. The provisions of this section shall not prohibit the |
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10|Oklahoma School for the Blind or the Oklahoma School for the Deaf |
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11|from adopting an alternative school-hours policy if the Oklahoma |
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12|School for the Blind or the Oklahoma School for the Deaf notifies |
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13|and receives approval from the State Board of Education prior to |
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14|October 15 of the applicable school year. |
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15| SECTION 2. This act shall become effective July 1, 2023. |
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16| SECTION 3. It being immediately necessary for the preservation |
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17|of the public peace, health, or safety, an emergency is hereby |
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18|declared to exist, by reason whereof this act shall take effect and |
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19|be in full force from and after its passage and approval. |
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21| 59-1-343 EB 1/9/2023 3:35:40 PM |
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