HB 1075: Teachers; making certain provisions applicable to administrators; requiring certain recommendation to be forwarded to the State Board of Education; providing for expungement; effective date; emergency. - Oklahoma

Floor (House) → Floor (Senate) · 5 edits

MODERATE

The bill was converted from a House version to a Senate version, which significantly expanded protections for teachers and administrators facing dismissal recommendations. The Senate version mandates that recommendations must specify statutory grounds and underlying facts, requires copies to be sent to the State Board of Education even if a teacher resigns during an investigation, and establishes a process for expunging records if no wrongdoing is found. It also clarifies that these records remain confidential and protected from open records requests.

Scope change

The bill's scope expanded to include mandatory forwarding of dismissal recommendations to the State Board of Education regardless of resignation status, and it added specific requirements for documenting the basis of recommendations for both career and probationary staff.

REQUIREMENT

Recommendations for dismissal must now explicitly state statutory grounds and underlying facts supporting the decision.

Copies of dismissal recommendations must be forwarded to the State Board of Education even if the teacher or administrator resigns while under investigation.

A clear process was added for expunging records and notifying affected parties if an investigation concludes with no findings of wrongdoing.

DEFINITION

Clarified that recommendations remain confidential and are exempt from disclosure under the Oklahoma Open Records Act.

TIMELINE

The effective date was set to July 1, 2025, and an emergency clause was added to allow immediate implementation.

Senate Committee Substitute for House Bill → HB1075 (4-28-25) (SEIFRIED) FA1.PDF · 1 edit

MINOR

The bill was amended to remove the requirement for expunging teacher investigation records if no wrongdoing is found. This change prevents the automatic clearing of records for teachers under investigation who are not charged with crimes, meaning these records will remain on file even if the investigation concludes without cause.

Scope change

The scope of record retention was narrowed; the previous provision allowing for the expungement of investigation reports upon a finding of no wrongdoing was deleted.

REQUIREMENT

Deleted the provision requiring that investigation reports be expunged from State Board of Education records if the investigation concludes without findings of criminal charges or certificate revocation.

House Committee Substitute → Senate Committee Substitute for House Bill · 5 edits

MODERATE

The bill was amended to change its title from the 'Protect Our Kids Act' to an 'Engrossed House Bill,' reflecting its progression through the legislative process. The substantive content was significantly reorganized to consolidate teacher dismissal recommendations into a single section, adding specific requirements for superintendents to detail statutory grounds and underlying facts. A new provision mandates that copies of these recommendations be sent to the State Board of Education even if a teacher resigns during an investigation, ensuring the Board is aware of pending issues. Additionally, the bill now requires that resignation reports be forwarded to the Board if the individual is under investigation for conduct that could lead to criminal charges or certificate revocation.

Scope change

The scope of the bill was expanded to include administrators alongside teachers regarding dismissal recommendations and to ensure the State Board of Education receives copies of recommendations regardless of whether the employee resigns before or after the recommendation is made.

REQUIREMENT

Added a requirement for superintendents to specify statutory grounds and underlying facts when recommending dismissal or non-reemployment of career teachers, and the cause for probationary teachers.

Mandated that copies of dismissal recommendations be forwarded to the State Board of Education after the recommendation is made, even if the teacher or administrator resigns.

Required that a report of resignation be forwarded to the State Board of Education if the individual is under investigation for conduct that could form the basis for criminal charges or certificate revocation.

TITLE

Changed the bill's title from 'Protect Our Kids Act' to 'Engrossed House Bill' to reflect its legislative status.

STRUCTURE

Reorganized the bill structure to consolidate provisions regarding teacher dismissal recommendations into a single section.

Proposed Policy Committee Substitute 1 → House Committee Substitute · 3 edits

MINOR

The bill was amended to transition from a 'Proposed Policy' draft to a formal 'Committee Substitute' version, incorporating specific legislative session details and refining the act's title. The core policy content regarding the 'Protect Our Kids Act' and amendments to teacher dismissal and license revocation procedures remains substantively unchanged in this diff, as the text appears to be a reformatting of the same provisions rather than a modification of the law itself.

TECHNICAL

The document header was updated from 'Proposed Policy Committee Substitute' to 'Committee Substitute' and adjusted to reflect the official 1st Session of the 60th Legislature (2025).

The act's title and summary were slightly rephrased to align with standard legislative formatting while retaining the same substantive description of the bill's purpose.

Page numbering and reference numbers (e.g., Req. No.) were updated to match the new committee substitute format.

Proposed Committee Substitute (full committee) 1 → Proposed Policy Committee Substitute 1 · 4 edits

MODERATE

The bill was renamed from the 'Proposed Oversight Committee Substitute' to the 'Proposed Policy Committee Substitute', indicating a shift in the legislative process stage. The substantive text of the bill was completely rewritten to change the legal citation from 70 O.S. 2021, Section 3-104 to Section 6-101.25, and the list of related acts was significantly shortened. These changes alter which specific Oklahoma statutes are being amended and how the bill is formally referenced.

Scope change

The bill's scope changed by targeting a different statute (Section 6-101.25 instead of Section 3-104) and removing references to the State Board of Education's powers and duties regarding budgeting and curriculum, focusing instead on teacher dismissal recommendations.

TECHNICAL

The bill title and committee designation changed from 'Oversight' to 'Policy', reflecting a procedural update in the legislative workflow.

SCOPE

The legal citation for the primary amendment was changed from Section 3-104 to Section 6-101.25, altering which specific laws are being modified.

References to the State Board of Education's authority over budgets, curriculum, and general supervision were removed from the bill's description.

REQUIREMENT

The detailed list of required report contents and administrative duties was replaced with new text focusing on teacher dismissal recommendations and expungement procedures.

Enrolled (final version) → Proposed Committee Substitute (full committee) 1 · 4 edits

MODERATE

The bill was completely rewritten to shift its focus from teacher dismissal procedures to establishing a new 'Protect Our Kids Act' that limits the State Board of Education's power to revoke licenses. The new version adds an emergency provision allowing the Board to immediately suspend or revoke licenses without a full hearing in specific situations, whereas the original text focused on forwarding dismissal recommendations to the Board and expunging records after investigations.

Scope change

The bill's scope changed from regulating the internal dismissal process for teachers and administrators to creating a new legal framework for emergency license revocation and limiting the Board's general authority.

REQUIREMENT

Added a new 'Protect Our Kids Act' that mandates the State Board of Education can summarily revoke or suspend licenses in emergencies.

Removed the original text detailing how dismissal recommendations must be forwarded to the Board and how records should be expunged after investigations.

DEFINITION

Added a new title and section defining the act and amending the State Board of Education's powers under 70 O.S. 2021, Section 3-104.

ENFORCEMENT

Changed the enforcement mechanism from a process of forwarding reports and expungement to an immediate power to suspend or revoke licenses.

Engrossed → Enrolled (final version) · 6 edits · May 27, 2025

MODERATE

The bill was finalized and renamed from the 'Protect Our Kids Act' to simply 'An Act relating to teachers'. The core policy changes involve tightening rules on teacher dismissals by requiring superintendents to send specific recommendations to the State Board of Education, even if the teacher resigns during an investigation. It also mandates that records of teachers cleared of criminal conduct be expunged and limits who can access these confidential records to only the school district involved in the employment decision.

Scope change

The bill's scope was narrowed by removing the broad title 'Protect Our Kids Act' and deleting a large section of text that previously governed the general supervision, budgeting, and rule-making authority of the State Board of Education. The final version focuses exclusively on teacher dismissal procedures and record confidentiality.

SCOPE

Deleted the title 'Protect Our Kids Act' and replaced it with a descriptive title focusing on teacher dismissal and record-keeping.

Removed extensive sections detailing the State Board of Education's general duties, including budget preparation, curriculum formulation, and broad authority to revoke licenses for various crimes.

REQUIREMENT

Added a requirement that superintendents must forward dismissal recommendations to the State Board of Education even if the teacher resigns while under investigation.

Added a provision to expunge reports from State Board records if an investigation concludes without findings supporting criminal charges or termination.

Modified access rules so that only the specific school district involved can request copies of dismissal recommendations, rather than allowing broader access.

DEFINITION

Added a right for teachers and administrators to provide supplementary information to the State Board when documents are requested by a school district.

Amended And Engrossed → Engrossed · 3 edits · May 12, 2025

MINOR

The bill was amended to replace the House title page with a Senate title page and to completely rewrite the substantive text of the bill. The original text, which detailed specific procedures for dismissing teachers and administrators, was removed and replaced with a new section establishing the State Board of Education's authority to adopt policies, manage the budget, and issue professional certificates. A critical new provision was added requiring the Board to revoke or suspend any license or certificate held by an individual convicted of specific sexual abuse or exploitation crimes.

Scope change

The bill's scope shifted from detailing specific dismissal recommendation procedures to broadly establishing the State Board of Education's operational authority and adding a mandatory revocation clause for individuals with certain criminal convictions.

REQUIREMENT

Removed the detailed text specifying how superintendents must submit recommendations for teacher dismissal, including grounds for probationary versus career teachers and reporting requirements.

Added a new requirement for the State Board of Education to revoke or suspend any license or certificate for individuals convicted of specific sexual abuse or exploitation crimes.

TECHNICAL

Changed the title page to reflect Senate sponsorship and replaced the original bill text with a new section defining the Board's general powers and duties.

Introduced → Amended And Engrossed · 3 edits · May 12, 2025

MINOR

The bill was amended to expand its scope from applying only to teachers to also including administrators and support employees. It clarifies that resignation reports must be sent to the State Board of Education regardless of when the resignation occurs, provided an investigation is ongoing. Additionally, the expungement process was streamlined to allow for automatic clearance if an investigation concludes with no findings of wrongdoing, rather than requiring a separate petition.

Scope change

The bill's applicability was expanded to include administrators and support employees in addition to teachers, and the resignation reporting requirement was broadened to cover all staff types regardless of resignation timing during an investigation.

SCOPE

Expanded the bill's coverage to include administrators and support employees, not just teachers.

REQUIREMENT

Changed the resignation reporting rule to require forwarding reports to the State Board of Education regardless of whether the resignation happens before or after a termination recommendation is made, as long as an investigation is active.

ELIGIBILITY

Modified the expungement criteria to allow for automatic clearance and notification to all parties if an investigation concludes without findings supporting criminal charges or revocation, removing the need for a separate petition in these cases.

Teachers; making certain provisions applicable to administrators; requiring certain recommendation to be forwarded to the State Board of Education; providing for expungement; effective date; emergency.

What changed between versions

How they voted

Actions timeline

Sponsors