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1 STATE OF OKLAHOMA
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2 2nd Session of the 60th Legislature (2026)
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3 SENATE BILL 1630 By: Thompson
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6 AS INTRODUCED
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7 An Act relating to schools; amending 70 O.S. 2021,
7 Section 1-109, as last amended by Section 1, Chapter
8 480, O.S.L. 2025 (70 O.S. Supp. 2025, Section 1-109),
8 which relates to the length of the school year;
9 allowing a school district or charter school to count
9 certain day or number of hours toward certain
10 requirement under certain circumstances; 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. AMENDATORY 70 O.S. 2021, Section 1-109, as
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15 last amended by Section 1, Chapter 480, O.S.L. 2025 (70 O.S. Supp.
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16 2025, Section 1-109), is amended to read as follows:
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17 Section 1-109. A. For all public schools in this state, 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-one (181) days;
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20 2. For not less than one thousand eighty-six (1,086) 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;
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1 3. Beginning with the 2025-2026 school year, for not less than
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2 one thousand eighty-six (1,086) hours with a minimum of one hundred
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3 sixty-six (166) days of instruction each school year, if a district
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4 board of education adopts a school-hours policy and notifies the
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5 State Board of Education prior to October 15 of the applicable
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6 school year; or
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7 4. Beginning with the 2025-2026 school year, for not less than
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8 one thousand eighty-six (1,086) hours each school year, if a
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9 district board of education adopts a school-hours policy, notifies
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10 the State Board of Education prior to October 15 of the applicable
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11 school year, and meets the requirements established by the State
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12 Board of 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-one (181) days or one
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16 thousand eighty-six (1,086) hours of classroom instruction time
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17 required in 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 6-
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4 204.2 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-one-day school year specified
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22 in paragraph 1 of subsection A of this section; and
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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 extended-
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7 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-six (1,086) hours, which is the
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10 equivalent of one hundred eighty-one (181) days of instruction as
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11 specified in subsection A of this section for six (6) hours each day
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12 as specified 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-one (181) days as specified in subsection
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15 A of 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 board
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9 of education does not revoke authorization after student achievement
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10 is not documented in the report, the State Board of Education may
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11 deny accreditation 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-six (1,086) hours per year requirement.
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3 J. 1. Except as provided for in paragraph 2 of this
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4 subsection, beginning with the 2026-2027 school year a school
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5 district or charter school shall not count days or portions of days
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6 when school is closed and virtual instruction is provided toward the
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7 one hundred eighty-one (181) days or one thousand eighty-six (1,086)
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8 hours of classroom instruction time required by subsection A of this
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9 section. For the purposes of this subsection, "virtual instruction"
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10 means the use of the Internet or other digital information
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11 transmission systems as a form of instruction.
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12 2. Beginning with the 2026-2027 school year, a school district
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13 or charter school may count up to two (2) days or twelve (12) hours
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14 when school is closed and virtual instruction is provided toward the
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15 one hundred eighty-one (181) days or one thousand eighty-six (1,086)
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16 hours of classroom instruction time required by subsection A of this
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17 section only if:
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18 a. the Superintendent of Public Instruction has approved
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19 the virtual instruction plan submitted by a school
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20 district board of education or charter school
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21 governing board. A school district board of education
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22 or charter school governing board shall approve its
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23 virtual instruction plan, publish the plan on the
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24 website for the school district or charter school, and
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1 submit it to the Superintendent of Public Instruction
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2 by November 1, 2025. The Superintendent shall approve
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3 or disapprove all submitted virtual instruction plans
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4 by January 31, 2026. A school district board of
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5 education or charter school governing board shall
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6 review its virtual instruction plan annually and
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7 approve any necessary revisions for submission to the
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8 Superintendent of Public Instruction by November 1
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9 each subsequent year, and the Superintendent shall
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10 approve or disapprove submitted plans by January 31
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11 each subsequent year. If a plan is disapproved, the
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12 school district board of education or charter school
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13 governing board may approve a revised plan, publish it
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14 on the website for the school district or charter
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15 school, and submit it to the Superintendent. The plan
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16 shall include a virtual needs assessment which shall
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17 address availability of technology infrastructure to
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18 deliver virtual instruction. The plan shall also
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19 address how the school district or charter school
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20 plans to provide:
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21 (1) instruction to students on an Individualized
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22 Education Program (IEP),
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23 (2) child nutrition services, and
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1 (3) transportation for students enrolled in
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2 technology center school courses or programs,
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3 b. a state of emergency or proclamation has been issued
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4 by the Governor for a specific reason relating to
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5 school district or charter school operations, and
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6 c. the school district board of education or charter
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7 school governing board approves the use of virtual
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8 instruction.
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9 3. A school district or charter school may count up to one (1)
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10 day or six (6) hours when a high school site is completing statewide
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11 assessments required by Section 1210.508 of this title and virtual
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12 instruction is provided toward the two (2) days or twelve (12) hours
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13 allowed pursuant to paragraph 2 of this subsection if the school
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14 district board of education or charter school governing board
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15 approves a virtual instruction day for high school-only sites for
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16 those students not taking the required assessments for eleventh-
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17 grade public school students if the school district or charter
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18 school attests that it has limited space and staffing to administer
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19 the assessments in a safe and secure environment.
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20 4. The provisions of this subsection shall not apply to
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21 statewide virtual charter schools or full-time virtual education
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22 programs operated by a school district.
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23 K. By June 30, 2027, and by June 30 each subsequent year, the
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24 State Department of Education shall publish on its website and
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1 electronically submit to the Governor, the President Pro Tempore of
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2 the Senate, and the Speaker of the House of Representatives a report
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3 with information regarding the use of virtual instruction as
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4 authorized by subsection J of this section. The report shall
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5 include, at a minimum:
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6 1. The school districts and charter schools that closed school
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7 and provided virtual instruction as authorized by subsection J of
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8 this section and the length of time virtual instruction was
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9 provided; and
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10 2. The reason for which school was closed and virtual
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11 instruction was provided.
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12 L. Nothing in this section shall be construed as affecting the
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13 right of an employing school district to require teachers as defined
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14 in Section 6-101.3 of this title to work in excess of the one
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15 thousand eighty-six (1,086) hours required for student instruction.
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16 In addition, nothing in this section shall be construed to affect
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17 the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 status of any school district
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18 employee.
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19 M. The provisions of this section shall not prohibit the
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20 Oklahoma School for the Blind or the Oklahoma School for the Deaf
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21 from adopting an alternative school-hours policy if the Oklahoma
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22 School for the Blind or the Oklahoma School for the Deaf notifies
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23 and receives approval from the State Board of Education prior to
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24 October 15 of the applicable school year.
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1 SECTION 2. This act shall become effective July 1, 2026.
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2 SECTION 3. It being immediately necessary for the preservation
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3 of the public peace, health, or safety, an emergency is hereby
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4 declared to exist, by reason whereof this act shall take effect and
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5 be in full force from and after its passage and approval.
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7 60-2-2934 EB 1/13/2026 5:22:44 PM
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Req. No. 2934 Page 10Every fact on this page links to its source, starting with the official bill record.