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 1st Session of the 60th Legislature (2025)
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3 SENATE BILL 19 By: Hamilton
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6 AS INTRODUCED
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7 An Act relating to schools; defining terms; requiring
7 each school district and charter school to submit to
8 the State Department of Education certain listing
8 annually by certain date; allowing submission of
9 certain attestation; prohibiting certain materials
9 and content from being accessible to certain
10 students; requiring school districts and charter
10 schools to have certain written policy; providing
11 certain construction; providing process for reporting
11 suspected violations; providing for contents of
12 report; requiring certain notifications within
12 certain time period; providing for investigation;
13 allowing a school district or charter school to
13 request certain hearing within certain time period;
14 directing the State Board of Education to review
14 certain information and vote on certain
15 determination; authorizing certain designation of a
15 school for certain noncompliance; providing certain
16 penalty for noncompliance; providing for promulgation
16 of rules; providing for codification; providing an
17 effective date; and declaring an emergency.
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20 BE IT ENACTED BY THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF OKLAHOMA:
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21 SECTION 1. NEW LAW A new section of law to be codified
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22 in the Oklahoma Statutes as Section 11-203 of Title 70, unless there
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23 is created a duplication in numbering, reads as follows:
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24 A. As used in this section:
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Req. No. 403 Page 1
1 1. "Library" means a school library, media program, classroom
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2 library, or any other collection of books or other materials, print
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3 or digital, that are maintained by a school district or charter
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4 school or its employees for use by students and that do not qualify
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5 as textbooks approved by the State Textbook Committee pursuant to
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6 Sections 16-101 through 16-124 of Title 70 of the Oklahoma Statutes;
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7 2. "School library" means the library maintained by a school
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8 district or charter school for use by students;
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9 3. "Pornographic" means:
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10 a. depictions or descriptions of sexual conduct which are
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11 patently offensive as found by the average person
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12 applying contemporary community standards, considering
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13 the youngest age of students with access to the
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14 material,
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15 b. materials that, taken as a whole, have as the dominant
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16 theme an appeal to prurient interest in sex as found
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17 by the average person applying contemporary community
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18 standards, and
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19 c. a reasonable person would find the material, taken as
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20 a whole, lacks serious literary, artistic,
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21 educational, political, or scientific purposes or
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22 values considering the youngest age of students with
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23 access to the material; and
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Req. No. 403 Page 2
1 4. "Sexualized content" means material that is not strictly
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2 pornographic but otherwise contains excessive sexual material in
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3 light of the educational value of the material and in light of the
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4 youngest age of students with access to the material.
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5 B. By October 1, 2025, and by every October 1 thereafter, each
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6 school district and charter school shall submit to the State
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7 Department of Education a complete listing of all books and other
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8 materials available in its school library. To fulfill the
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9 requirement of this subsection, a school district or charter school
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10 superintendent may submit an attestation that the public online
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11 school library catalog or catalogs contain a complete and accurate
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12 list of books and other materials accompanied by the website for
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13 accessing the relevant catalog or catalogs.
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14 C. A library in a school district or charter school shall be
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15 prohibited from having any pornographic materials or sexualized
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16 content accessible to students under the age of eighteen (18).
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17 D. Each school district and charter school shall have a written
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18 policy for reviewing the educational suitability and age-appropriate
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19 nature of any material in a library and for receiving and responding
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20 to complaints regarding books and other materials in libraries.
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21 E. Nothing in this section shall prohibit a student from
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22 reading, owning, possessing, or discussing any book obtained without
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23 the assistance or encouragement of a school district or charter
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24 school, its employees, or its libraries; provided, however, nothing
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Req. No. 403 Page 3
1 in this section shall be construed to allow a student to bring
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2 pornographic material or sexualized content on the grounds of a
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3 school district or charter school.
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4 F. 1. The parent or legal guardian of a student enrolled in a
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5 school district or charter school may report suspected violations of
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6 the provisions of this section to the State Department of Education.
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7 The report shall include a written complaint summarizing the alleged
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8 violation including the time, date, and location of the alleged
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9 violation and the identity of any person involved. The report shall
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10 include a copy of any complaint submitted to the school district or
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11 charter school and any related response.
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12 2. Within fourteen (14) business days of receiving a report
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13 pursuant to this subsection, the State Department of Education shall
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14 notify the school district or charter school of the alleged
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15 violation and provide an opportunity to respond.
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16 3. The State Department of Education shall conduct an
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17 investigation to determine whether a violation occurred. The
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18 Department shall notify the parent or legal guardian who submitted
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19 the report and the school district or charter school of the results
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20 of the investigation.
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21 4. If the Department determines a violation occurred, the
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22 school district or charter school shall have fourteen (14) business
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23 days to request a hearing before the State Board of Education. The
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24 Board shall review the alleged violation, the results of the
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Req. No. 403 Page 4
1 Department's investigation, and the response from the school
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2 district or charter school and vote on whether to uphold the
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3 Department's determination.
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4 5. If the State Board of Education votes to uphold the State
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5 Department of Education's determination, the Board is authorized to
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6 report a school district or charter school as deficient on the
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7 accreditation report for noncompliance with the provisions of this
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8 section. Upon a finding of noncompliance with the provisions of
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9 subsections B and C of this section by the State Board of Education,
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10 the noncompliant school district or charter school shall receive a
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11 five percent (5%) reduction in state funding for the fiscal year
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12 following the fiscal year of noncompliance.
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13 G. The State Board of Education shall promulgate rules to
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14 implement the provisions of this section.
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15 SECTION 2. This act shall become effective July 1, 2025.
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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 60-1-403 EB 12/11/2024 3:07:32 PM
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Req. No. 403 Page 5Every fact on this page links to its source, starting with the official bill record.