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1 STATE OF OKLAHOMA
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2 1st Session of the 60th Legislature (2025)
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3 SENATE BILL 699 By: Pugh
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6 AS INTRODUCED
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7 An Act relating to school accreditation; amending 70
7 O.S. 2021, Section 3-104.4, which relates to
8 standards of accreditation for public schools;
8 directing accreditation standards to provide for
9 deficiencies; allowing a school to request a due
9 process hearing before the State Board of Education
10 within certain time period; providing for adoption of
10 due process procedures; directing notice to be
11 provided to a school district in certain manner;
11 directing a failure to request a hearing to be
12 considered a waiver of a right to a hearing;
12 providing for promulgation of rules to establish
13 certain procedures; updating statutory language;
13 updating statutory reference; providing an effective
14 date; and declaring an emergency.
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17 BE IT ENACTED BY THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF OKLAHOMA:
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18 SECTION 1. AMENDATORY 70 O.S. 2021, Section 3-104.4, is
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19 amended to read as follows:
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20 Section 3-104.4. A. The State Board of Education shall adopt
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21 standards for the accreditation of the public schools in this state
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22 according to the requirements of Section 3-104.3 et seq. of this
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23 title, to be effective as set forth in Section 3-104.3 et seq. of
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24 this title. The accreditation standards shall incorporate the
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1 curricular standards established pursuant to Section 11-103.6 of
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2 this title. The accreditation standards shall equal or exceed
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3 nationally recognized accreditation standards to the extent that the
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4 standards are consistent with an academic results oriented approach
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5 to accreditation. The accreditation standards adopted by the State
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6 Board shall encompass accreditation for elementary schools, middle
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7 schools, junior high schools, and high schools. The accreditation
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8 standards shall be made available for public inspection at the
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9 offices of the State Department of Education.
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10 B. Standards for accreditation adopted by the State Board of
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11 Education shall include standards relating to the provision of
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12 school counselors to the public school children of this state. The
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13 State Board of Education shall require each local school district to
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14 provide information regarding the number of counselors serving each
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15 school site, the duties of all such counselors including all
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16 administrative duties, the number of students served by each
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17 counselor, and information regarding the number of counselors
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18 employed per elementary school, middle school, junior high school,
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19 and high school.
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20 C. 1. Except as otherwise provided, schools shall meet the
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21 accreditation standards as a condition of continued accreditation.
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22 Nothing herein shall be construed as preventing changes to the
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23 adopted standards by the State Board of Education pursuant to the
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24 Administrative Procedures Act.
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1 2. The accreditation standards shall provide for deficiencies,
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2 warnings, probation, or nonaccredited status for schools that fail
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3 to meet the one or more or all standards.
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4 3. The State Department of Education shall investigate a
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5 complaint of failure to provide educational services or failure to
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6 comply with accreditation standards within thirty (30) days of
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7 receiving the complaint. If the Department determines that a school
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8 has failed to comply with the accreditation standards, the
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9 Department shall report the recommended deficiencies, warning,
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10 probation, or nonaccredited accreditation status to the State Board
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11 of Education within ninety (90) days. The school shall be given an
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12 opportunity to request a hearing before the Board pursuant to the
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13 due process procedures adopted by the Board as provided for in this
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14 subsection. If a school does not request a due process hearing
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15 within ten (10) business days and does not take action to comply
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16 with the accreditation standards within ninety (90) days after a
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17 report is filed by the Department, the Board shall withdraw
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18 accreditation for the school.
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19 4. Prior to the State Board of Education taking action on a
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20 recommendation from the State Department of Education to change the
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21 accreditation status of a school site or school district by
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22 classifying the site or district with deficiencies, warning,
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23 probation, or nonaccredited accreditation status, the school
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24 district shall be given an opportunity to request a hearing before
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Req. No. 250 Page 3
1 the Board pursuant to the due process procedures adopted by the
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2 Board as provided for in this subsection. The school district shall
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3 receive notice of the right to a hearing by certified mail, with the
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4 postmark used to determine the timeliness of the notice. The
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5 hearing shall be conducted by the Board. Failure of the school
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6 district to request a hearing within ten (10) business days of
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7 receipt of such notice shall be considered a waiver of the
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8 district's right to a hearing.
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9 5. The State Board of Education shall promulgate rules
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10 establishing the due process procedures providing notice and an
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11 opportunity for a hearing prior to the accreditation status of a
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12 school site or school district being changed. The rules shall be
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13 adopted pursuant to the Administrative Procedures Act.
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14 6. The State Board of Education's accreditation regulations
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15 rules shall provide for warnings and for assistance to schools and
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16 school districts whenever there is reason to believe a school is in
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17 danger of losing its state accreditation.
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18 D. If one or more school sites fail to receive accreditation as
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19 required pursuant to this section or subsequently lose
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20 accreditation, the State Board of Education shall close the school
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21 and reassign the students to accredited schools within the district
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22 or shall annex the district to one or more other districts in which
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23 the students can be educated in accredited schools.
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1 E. Standards for accreditation adopted by the State Board of
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2 Education shall include standards relating to the provision of
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3 educational services provided in partial hospitalization programs,
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4 day treatment programs, day hospital programs, residential treatment
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5 programs, and emergency shelter programs for persons between the
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6 ages of three (3) and twenty-one (21) years of age. The
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7 accreditation standards shall apply to on-site and off-site
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8 educational services provided by public school districts or state-
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9 accredited private schools. Each school which is providing or is
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10 required to provide educational services for students placed in a
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11 program as described in this subsection shall be actively monitored
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12 by the State Department of Education. The Department shall
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13 determine on an ongoing basis if the educational program and
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14 services are in compliance with the accreditation standards.
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15 F. The State Board of Education shall provide assistance to
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16 districts in considering the possibility of meeting accreditation
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17 requirements through the use of nontraditional means of instruction.
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18 The State Board shall also assist districts in forming cooperatives
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19 and making arrangements for the use of satellite instruction or
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20 other instructional technologies to the extent that use of such
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21 instructional means meets accreditation standards.
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22 G. 1. Accreditation shall not be withdrawn from or denied nor
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23 shall a penalty be assessed against a school or school district for
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24 failing to meet the media materials and equipment standards, media
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1 program expenditure standards, and media personnel standards as set
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2 forth in the accreditation standards adopted by the Board.
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3 2. The provisions of paragraph 1 of this subsection shall cease
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4 to be effective during the fiscal year which begins on the July 1
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5 immediately succeeding the legislative session during which the
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6 measure appropriating monies to the State Board of Education for the
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7 financial support of public schools is enacted as law and such
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8 appropriation amount is at least Fifty Million Dollars
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9 ($50,000,000.00) greater than the amount of money appropriated to
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10 the State Board of Education for the financial support of public
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11 schools for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2019, pursuant to
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12 Chapter 146, O.S.L. 2018. Provided, the Fifty Million Dollars
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13 ($50,000,000.00) shall not include any amount of appropriations
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14 dedicated for support or certified employee salary increases.
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15 Accreditation shall not be withdrawn from or denied nor shall a
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16 penalty be assessed against a school or school district for failing
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17 to meet the media personnel standards as set forth in accreditation
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18 standards adopted by the Board.
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19 H. 1. The State Board of Education shall not assess a
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20 financial penalty against any school district which is given a
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21 deficiency in accreditation status during any fiscal year as
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22 provided for in this subsection.
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23 2. Beginning with the fiscal year which begins July 1, 2021, if
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24 the amount of money appropriated to the State Board of Education for
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1 the financial support of public schools including funds apportioned
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2 pursuant to Section 2 Section 426 of this act Title 63 of the
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3 Oklahoma Statutes, is at least One Hundred Million Dollars
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4 ($100,000,000.00) greater than the amount of money appropriated to
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5 the State Board of Education for the financial support of public
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6 schools for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2019, pursuant to
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7 Chapter 146, O.S.L. 2018, a financial penalty shall be assessed
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8 against any school districts that do not comply with the class size
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9 limitations for kindergarten as provided for in Section 18-113.2 of
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10 this title and class size limitations for grade one as provided for
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11 in subsection A of Section 18-113.1 of this title. Provided, the
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12 One Hundred Million Dollars ($100,000,000.00) shall not include any
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13 amount of appropriations dedicated for support or certified employee
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14 salary increases.
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15 3. The State Department of Education shall submit a report on
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16 statewide classroom sizes to the President Pro Tempore of the
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17 Oklahoma State Senate and the Speaker of the Oklahoma House of
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18 Representatives no later than January 1, 2022.
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19 I. Except as provided for in subsection J of this section,
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20 beginning with the 2019-2020 school year, evaluations of schools to
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21 determine whether they meet the accreditation standards set forth in
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22 accordance with this section shall occur once every four (4) years
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23 on a schedule adopted by the State Board of Education. The Board
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24 may interrupt the evaluation schedule provided in this subsection
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1 for reasons including a change in the superintendent of the school
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2 district; determination that one or more school district board
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3 members have not met the continuing education requirements as
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4 defined by this title; determination that the school district
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5 falsified information submitted to any public city, county, state,
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6 or federal official or agency; initiation of an investigation by the
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7 Board or a law enforcement agency; or other determination by the
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8 Board that standards for accreditation are not being met by the
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9 school district. The schedule adopted by the Board shall allow for
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10 school districts receiving no deficiencies for two (2) consecutive
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11 years to be reviewed for accreditation less than annually.
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12 Provided, however, that schools shall be evaluated annually for the
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13 purposes of:
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14 1. Local, state, and federal funding;
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15 2. Health and safety;
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16 3. Certification requirements for teachers, principals, and
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17 superintendents;
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18 4. School board governance, including instructional and
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19 continuing education requirements for school board members; and
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20 5. Any other requirements under state or federal law.
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21 J. Beginning with the 2019-2020 school year, if a public school
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22 receives a deficiency on its accreditation report, the public school
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23 shall be evaluated annually to determine if it meets the
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24 accreditation standards set forth in accordance with this section.
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1 If the public school receives no deficiencies for two (2)
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2 consecutive years, the public school shall be subject to the
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3 evaluation timeline established in subsection I of this section.
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4 SECTION 2. This act shall become effective July 1, 2025.
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5 SECTION 3. It being immediately necessary for the preservation
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6 of the public peace, health, or safety, an emergency is hereby
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7 declared to exist, by reason whereof this act shall take effect and
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8 be in full force from and after its passage and approval.
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Req. No. 250 Page 9Every fact on this page links to its source, starting with the official bill record.