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 1733 By: Thompson
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6 AS INTRODUCED
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7 An Act relating to schools; amending Section 1,
7 Chapter 297, O.S.L. 2024 (70 O.S. Supp. 2025, Section
8 6-401), which relates to student communications;
8 requiring immediate notification to law enforcement
9 of certain violation; updating statutory language;
9 requiring school employees to report certain
10 disclosure, allegation, or information to law
10 enforcement within certain time period; clarifying
11 term; requiring certain officer to submit certain
11 report under certain circumstances; requiring certain
12 report to law enforcement prior to certain
12 investigation or questioning; prohibiting school
13 personnel from taking certain actions until law
13 enforcement has been notified; providing exception;
14 requiring certain information to be kept confidential
14 or redacted; requiring school employees to annually
15 sign certain attestation; providing certain
15 construction; providing for codification; providing
16 an effective date; and declaring an emergency.
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19 BE IT ENACTED BY THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF OKLAHOMA:
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20 SECTION 1. AMENDATORY Section 1, Chapter 297, O.S.L.
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21 2024 (70 O.S. Supp. 2025, Section 6-401), is amended to read as
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22 follows:
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23 Section 6-401. A. As used in this section:
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Req. No. 2493 Page 1
1 1. "Electronic or digital communication" includes, but is not
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2 limited to, emails, text messages, instant messages, direct
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3 messages, social media messages, messages sent through software
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4 applications, and any other electronic digital means of
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5 communication; and
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6 2. "School personnel" means teachers, coaches, administrators,
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7 school bus drivers, or any other persons employed full-time or part-
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8 time by a public school or charter school.
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9 B. School personnel engaging in electronic or digital
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10 communication with an individual student shall include the student's
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11 parent or legal guardian in any electronic or digital communication,
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12 unless such communication is on a school-approved platform and
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13 related to school and academic communications.
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14 C. Exceptions to the requirement in subsection B of this
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15 section may be made in case of an emergency, subject to subsequent
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16 notification to the parent or legal guardian. School personnel
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17 shall make reasonable efforts to use school-approved platforms,
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18 systems, or applications that allow automatic inclusion of parents
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19 or legal guardians in communications with students.
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20 D. Schools shall provide training, developed by the State
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21 Department of Education, for school personnel on the student
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22 communication requirements of this section.
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23 E. Any school personnel who is reported to be in violation of
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24 subsection B of this section shall be put on administrative leave
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1 while the school district investigates the incident and notifies the
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2 board of education. If the investigation finds that no misconduct
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3 occurred, the school personnel shall be reinstated and the incident
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4 shall be noted in the school personnel's employee file. If the
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5 investigation finds misconduct occurred, the school personnel shall
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6 be disciplined according to the school district board of education's
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7 policy, up to and including termination of employment, and the
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8 incident shall be reported to law enforcement pursuant to Section
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9 1210.163 of Title 70 of the Oklahoma Statutes.
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10 F. A school district shall immediately notify law enforcement
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11 of any violation of subsection B of this section pursuant to Section
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12 1210.163 of this title.
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13 SECTION 2. NEW LAW A new section of law to be codified
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14 in the Oklahoma Statutes as Section 1210.164 of Title 70, unless
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15 there is created a duplication in numbering, reads as follows:
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16 A. 1. In addition to any report required pursuant to Section
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17 1210.163 of Title 70 of the Oklahoma Statutes, every school employee
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18 having reason to believe, or receiving an allegation or disclosure,
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19 that a student is the victim of sexual abuse, sexual assault, or
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20 sexual misconduct, shall report the disclosure, allegation, or
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21 information within twenty-four (24) hours to local law enforcement.
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22 2. For the purposes of this section, local law enforcement
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23 means a law enforcement agency that is independent of the school
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24 district and shall not include a school resource officer employed by
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1 the district unless directed by the independent law enforcement
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2 agency. When a school resource officer is utilized pursuant to this
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3 subsection, the officer shall submit a written report describing the
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4 circumstances and any actions taken to the independent law
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5 enforcement agency.
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6 B. 1. Any disclosure or allegation made pursuant to this
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7 section shall be reported to law enforcement prior to any
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8 investigation by the public school district or school district board
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9 of education or questioning of the subject of the disclosure or
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10 allegation.
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11 2. No school investigator, administrator, or official shall
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12 conduct interviews of the subject of the disclosure or allegation or
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13 engage in disciplinary proceedings until law enforcement has been
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14 notified and has had the opportunity to interview the involved
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15 parties, unless law enforcement determines that an immediate school
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16 response is necessary to protect student safety.
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17 C. In reports required by subsection A of this section, local
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18 law enforcement shall keep confidential and redact any information
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19 identifying the reporting school employee unless otherwise ordered
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20 by the court. A school employee with knowledge of a report required
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21 by subsection A of this section shall not disclose information
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22 identifying the reporting school employee unless otherwise ordered
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23 by the court or as part of an investigation by local law enforcement
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24 or the State Department of Education.
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1 D. In addition to the attestation required by Section 1210.163
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2 of Title 70 of the Oklahoma Statutes, every school employee shall
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3 annually sign an attestation acknowledging his or her responsibility
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4 to report suspected child abuse or neglect pursuant to this section.
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5 Failure to sign an attestation shall not relieve school personnel
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6 from the obligations created in this section or Section 1210.163 of
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7 Title 70 of the Oklahoma Statutes, nor shall such failure constitute
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8 a defense to criminal liability arising under Section 1-2-101 of
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9 Title 10A of the Oklahoma Statutes.
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10 SECTION 3. This act shall become effective July 1, 2026.
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11 SECTION 4. It being immediately necessary for the preservation
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12 of the public peace, health, or safety, an emergency is hereby
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13 declared to exist, by reason whereof this act shall take effect and
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14 be in full force from and after its passage and approval.
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Req. No. 2493 Page 5Every fact on this page links to its source, starting with the official bill record.