Shown verbatim: the complete text as captured from the official PDF posted by the Oklahoma Legislature, fetched 2026-07-23. Page and line markers are part of the official record; nothing is edited or removed. The official bill page.
1 STATE OF OKLAHOMA
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2 2nd Session of the 60th Legislature (2026)
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3 SENATE BILL 1237 By: Bullard
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6 AS INTRODUCED
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7 An Act relating to teachers; creating the Teachers'
7 Bill of Rights; providing short title; affording
8 certain rights to certain teachers, administrators,
8 and support staff; directing creation of certain due
9 process plan; requiring plan to include certain
9 components; providing for codification; providing an
10 effective date; and declaring an emergency.
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13 BE IT ENACTED BY THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF OKLAHOMA:
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14 SECTION 1. NEW LAW A new section of law to be codified
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15 in the Oklahoma Statutes as Section 6-101.9 of Title 70, unless
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16 there is created a duplication in numbering, reads as follows:
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17 A. This act shall be known and may be cited as the "Teachers'
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18 Bill of Rights".
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19 B. Teachers, administrators, and support staff employed by a
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20 school district, public charter school, or public virtual charter
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21 school in this state shall be afforded the following rights:
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22 1. The right to free expression of religion, speech, and
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23 peaceable assembly including, but not limited to:
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1 a. the right to keep the Holy Scriptures in their
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2 classrooms for personal use,
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3 b. the right to use the Holy Scriptures as they pertain
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4 to the teaching of American history or American
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5 literature if presented objectively as part of a
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6 secular program of education,
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7 c. the right to wear faith-based or religious symbols
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8 including jewelry on their persons,
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9 d. the right to pray with, over, or in front of students
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10 as provided for in Section 11-101.1 of Title 70 of the
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11 Oklahoma Statutes, and
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12 e. the right to a working environment in which the
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13 employing school district, public charter school, or
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14 public virtual charter school does not endorse, favor,
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15 promote, demean, show hostility toward, or
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16 intentionally undermine any particular religion or
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17 nonreligious faith or religious perspective;
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18 2. The right to be free from the use of vulgar or abusive
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19 language by students and other teachers, administrators, or support
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20 staff;
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21 3. The right to be free from physical harm or threats from
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22 students, parents or legal guardians of students, and other
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23 employees of the school district, public charter school, or public
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24 virtual charter school;
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1 4. The right to provide for the control and discipline of
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2 students as may be assigned to him or her and to keep good order in
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3 the classroom and other places in which he or she is assigned to be
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4 in charge of students including:
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5 a. the right to have disobedient, disrespectful, violent,
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6 abusive, or disruptive students removed from the
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7 classroom,
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8 b. the right to refuse to allow a student who has been
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9 suspended for a violent offense to return to his or
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10 her classroom, as provided for in Section 24-101.3 of
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11 Title 70 of the Oklahoma Statutes, and
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12 c. the right to use established and reasonable methods of
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13 discipline, as provided for in the policy adopted
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14 pursuant to Section 24-100.4 of Title 70 of the
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15 Oklahoma Statutes, and to be immune from civil
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16 liability for any action taken in good faith as
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17 provided for Section 24-101.3 of Title 70 of the
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18 Oklahoma Statutes;
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19 5. The right of designated school personnel to carry and use a
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20 firearm, as provided for in Section 5-149.2 of Title 70 of the
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21 Oklahoma Statutes;
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22 6. The right to a safe working environment with adequate safety
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23 protocols and structural safety measures to ensure protection from
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24 exterior or interior threats of violence;
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1 7. The right to medical privacy, to refuse a vaccination as a
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2 condition of employment, and to refuse to wear a mask or any other
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3 medical device as a condition of employment, except as provided for
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4 in Section 1210.190 of Title 70 of the Oklahoma Statutes;
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5 8. The right to refuse to provide instruction or participate in
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6 training on any topic that violates the individual's conscience,
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7 ethics, or religion; provided, however, the individual shall be
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8 prohibited from refusing to provide instruction prescribed by state
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9 law including the subject matter standards provided for in Section
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10 11-103.6 of Title 70 of the Oklahoma Statutes or prescribed by State
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11 Board of Education rules;
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12 9. The right to adequate planning time including at least one
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13 (1) hour not to be infringed by additional responsibilities or
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14 requests; provided, however, an individual may voluntarily
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15 relinquish his or her planning hour;
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16 10. The right to a lunch period of a minimum of twenty (20)
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17 minutes during the school day;
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18 11. The right to information regarding complaints filed by a
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19 student or the parent or legal guardian of a student, unless the
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20 complaint is part of a law enforcement investigation;
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21 12. The right to be protected by school administrators when
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22 helping students better understand, analyze, critique, and review in
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23 an objective manner the strengths and weaknesses of existing
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24 theories, issues, and subjects which may be controversial when
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1 covered in a course being taught using evidence-based, peer-reviewed
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2 material; and
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3 13. The right to privately petition a school administrator, a
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4 school district board of education, or a governing body of a public
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5 charter school or public virtual charter school to modify a school
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6 policy.
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7 C. A school district board of education or the governing body
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8 of a public charter school or public virtual charter school shall
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9 create a due process plan for teachers, administrators, and support
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10 staff to report violations of the rights provided for in subsection
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11 B of this section. The due process plan shall include, at a
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12 minimum, the following:
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13 1. Designation of a school employee or employees to receive
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14 reports of violation;
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15 2. Provisions for anonymous reports to protect the identity of
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16 the accuser from retribution;
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17 3. A requirement that reported violations be investigated by
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18 designated school employees in a timely manner;
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19 4. Procedures for investigating and implementing punishment for
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20 false accusations;
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21 5. Procedures for reporting to law enforcement suspected
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22 violations that may constitute criminal activity or reasonably have
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23 the potential to endanger school safety; and
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1 6. A procedure for appealing findings of a designated school
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2 employee or employees to a school district board of education or the
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3 governing body of a public charter school or public virtual charter
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4 school.
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5 SECTION 2. This act shall become effective July 1, 2026.
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6 SECTION 3. It being immediately necessary for the preservation
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7 of the public peace, health, or safety, an emergency is hereby
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8 declared to exist, by reason whereof this act shall take effect and
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9 be in full force from and after its passage and approval.
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11 60-2-2173 EB 12/11/2025 10:18:03 AM
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Req. No. 2173 Page 6Every fact on this page links to its source, starting with the official bill record.