HB 2959: Schools; student abuse or neglect reporting; superintendents and administrators; school employees; law enforcement; interviews; investigations; duty to report; electronic communication; violations; effective date; emergency. - Oklahoma

Floor (House) → Floor (Senate) · 3 edits

MINOR

The bill was transitioned from the House floor version to the Senate floor version, primarily involving formatting updates and the addition of a date. The core text of the bill regarding mandatory reporting of student abuse by school employees remains substantively unchanged in this diff.

TECHNICAL

The document header was updated to reflect the 'Senate Floor Version' and added the date 'April 7, 2026'.

The byline was updated to list the sponsors as 'Bashore, Manger, and Rosecrants of the House' and 'Thompson of the Senate', reflecting the bill's progression through the legislative process.

The title page footer was changed from 'HB2959 HFLR' (House Floor Legislative Reference) to 'HB2959 SFLR' (Senate Floor Legislative Reference).

House Committee Substitute → Floor (House) · 1 edit

MINOR

The document was converted from a House Committee Substitute draft to the official Floor version, updating the header to reflect the House of Representatives. The substantive policy text regarding student abuse reporting, investigation protocols, and employee duties remains identical, with no changes to legal requirements or scope.

Scope change

No change to the bill's scope or applicability; the text content is unchanged.

TECHNICAL

Updated the document header to change the title from 'COMMITTEE SUBSTITUTE' to 'HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES - FLOOR VERSION' and adjusted the authors' formatting.

Proposed Committee Substitute (full committee) 1 → House Committee Substitute · 5 edits

MODERATE

The bill was completely rewritten to replace the 'Proposed Oversight Committee Substitute' with a 'Committee Substitute.' The substantive policy changes include expanding the definition of reportable offenses to include specific modern crimes like child trafficking, child sexual abuse material (CSAM), and facilitating sexual conduct with minors. Additionally, the bill clarifies that school administrators are personally liable for failing to report abuse and establishes strict protocols preventing schools from conducting their own investigations or disciplining accused employees before law enforcement has had a chance to interview parties.

Scope change

The scope of reportable offenses was significantly expanded to include digital crimes and trafficking, and the applicability of liability was clarified to explicitly include school administrators.

DEFINITION

The definition of 'child abuse and neglect' was expanded to include trafficking, CSAM offenses, and facilitating sexual conduct with minors.

REQUIREMENT

Added a requirement for all school employees to annually sign an attestation acknowledging their duty to report suspected abuse.

ENFORCEMENT

Clarified that schools cannot conduct formal interviews or disciplinary proceedings against accused employees until law enforcement has been notified and interviewed parties.

Added specific penalties for school administrators who knowingly fail to report abuse or interfere with reporting.

TECHNICAL

The document header was updated from 'Proposed Oversight Committee Substitute' to 'Committee Substitute' and the request number was updated.

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

MODERATE

The bill was amended to replace the entire text with a version that clarifies reporting timelines and procedures for suspected student abuse. The most significant change is the explicit requirement that superintendents and administrators must report suspected abuse by school employees to law enforcement within 24 hours, ensuring the duty to report applies regardless of the accused employee's employment status.

Scope change

The scope of the bill remains focused on student abuse and neglect reporting, but the amendment clarifies that the duty to report suspected employee misconduct applies even if the employee resigns or is terminated before the report is made.

REQUIREMENT

Added a specific 24-hour deadline for superintendents and administrators to report suspected abuse by school employees to law enforcement.

Added a requirement that all reports of employee abuse must be made to law enforcement before any formal school investigation or questioning of the accused employee occurs.

Added a prohibition on school officials conducting formal interviews or disciplinary proceedings against an accused employee until law enforcement has been notified and has interviewed the parties involved.

Added a provision stating that an employee's resignation, termination, or transfer does not relieve the school of the duty to report the abuse allegation.

Engrossed → Enrolled (final version) · 2 edits · May 12, 2026

MINOR

The bill was finalized from its 'Engrossed' version to 'Enrolled' status, incorporating amendments that expand the definition of reportable child abuse and neglect. The most significant substantive change is the addition of new specific offenses to the list of mandatory reporting triggers, including facilitating sexual conduct with minors, offering minors for prostitution, and specific rape statutes, while removing a reference to 'incest' from the list. The core requirements for reporting timelines, confidentiality, and employee attestations remain consistent between the two versions.

Scope change

The scope of the bill was expanded by adding specific criminal offenses to the definition of 'child abuse and neglect' that must be reported, while removing one offense (incest) from that specific list. The applicability to school employees, superintendents, and administrators remains unchanged.

DEFINITION

The list of specific crimes constituting 'child abuse and neglect' was modified to include new offenses such as facilitating sexual conduct with minors, offering minors for prostitution, and specific rape statutes, while removing the definition for incest.

TECHNICAL

The bill status changed from 'Engrossed' to 'Enrolled', reflecting its final passage and preparation for the Governor's signature, which includes minor formatting updates to the header and sponsor list.

Introduced → Engrossed · 6 edits · May 5, 2026

MODERATE

This bill updates the reporting requirements for suspected child abuse and neglect in Oklahoma schools. The primary changes clarify that reports must be made before any school investigation begins and prohibit school officials from conducting formal interviews of involved parties until law enforcement has had a chance to interview them. It also clarifies that these duties apply regardless of whether the accused employee is still employed. Additionally, the bill tightens the language regarding violations of communication rules and updates the list of specific crimes that constitute child abuse or neglect.

Scope change

The scope of the reporting duty remains the same, but the procedural rules for handling allegations have been clarified to prioritize law enforcement involvement over internal school investigations.

REQUIREMENT

Changed the requirement to report abuse 'before school investigation' to 'before formal school investigation' to clarify the timing of the report relative to internal inquiries.

Changed the prohibition on interviews to prohibit 'formal interviews' of suspected involved parties until law enforcement has interviewed them, distinguishing between formal and informal questioning.

Clarified that the duty to report applies regardless of the accused employee's current employment status (e.g., resignation or termination does not end the duty).

Updated the language regarding electronic communication violations to specify 'certain violations' rather than all violations, narrowing the scope of immediate law enforcement notification.

DEFINITION

Reordered and slightly rephrased the list of specific crimes included in the definition of 'child abuse and neglect' to ensure consistency with current state statutes.

TECHNICAL

Corrected formatting and section numbering errors in the bill text, such as merging subsections and fixing page headers.

Schools; student abuse or neglect reporting; superintendents and administrators; school employees; law enforcement; interviews; investigations; duty to report; electronic communication; violations; effective date; emergency.

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