This bill removes a requirement that students with disabilities must have attended a public school the previous year to qualify for the Lindsey Nicole Henry Scholarship Program. It directly affects families seeking private school options for children with disabilities who previously needed public school enrollment history. The key change eliminates the "prior public school attendance" rule in Section 13-101.2, while maintaining other eligibility criteria like having an IEP or meeting specific exemptions (e.g., military transfers, foster care, homelessness). Private schools must still meet program standards, and scholarships remain available until the student graduates, enrolls in public school, or turns 22. The change makes the program more accessible for eligible students without prior public school enrollment.
HB 1393 amends Oklahoma's special education law to clarify how alternate achievement standards are applied in Individualized Education Programs (IEPs) for students with disabilities. It replaces the phrase "based on alternate academic achievement standards" with language requiring assessments "that promote access to and progress in the general education curriculum." This change directly affects students with disabilities in Oklahoma public schools who use alternate assessments, ensuring their IEPs focus on meaningful engagement with standard curriculum content. The bill specifies that alternate assessments must support students' ability to access and advance in regular classroom learning, not just measure them against different standards. The amendment became law after Governor approval on May 9, 2025.
HB 1940 amends Oklahoma's charter school law to establish a new annual limit: the Statewide Charter School Board may sponsor no more than five new charter schools per year in counties with fewer than 500,000 residents. This directly affects the Statewide Charter School Board's authority and charter school expansion in smaller counties, while maintaining existing sponsorship rules for other areas. The rule applies to all new charter school applications approved after July 1, 2025, when the bill takes effect. The bill does not change sponsorship requirements for schools in larger counties or other sponsor types.
SB 139 requires Oklahoma public school district boards of education to adopt cell phone policies by the 2025-2026 school year. Starting in the 2026-2027 school year, boards may choose to implement policies prohibiting students from using cell phones or personal electronic devices on school campuses "from bell to bell" during school hours. The bill directly affects school districts by setting a timeline for policy adoption and defining the scope of device restrictions during instructional time. This legislation, approved by the governor on May 3, 2025, provides a framework for district-level decisions without mandating specific enforcement.
SB 409 would require Oklahoma public school districts to add one additional day of classroom instruction starting July 1, 2025, if the state allocates at least $25 million more in funding for public schools than the previous fiscal year. This provision directly affects all Oklahoma public school districts by mandating an extra school day when specific state budget increases are met. The bill establishes a clear funding trigger ($25 million greater than prior year) as the mechanism for the requirement, with no changes to existing minimum instructional time standards (180 days or 1,080 hours). It is designed to link state education funding increases directly to expanded instructional time for students. The bill was introduced but failed passage in April 2025 (22-63 vote).
HB 2154 amends Oklahoma's Charter Schools Act to require charter school governing boards to approve a budget for each upcoming fiscal year before it begins. This change directly affects all Oklahoma charter school governing boards by adding a new annual procedural requirement. The bill focuses on strengthening financial oversight through mandatory pre-fiscal-year budget approvals, without altering other provisions like financial statement requirements or contract rules. The amendment was added to the bill during committee review and is currently pending in the House.
HB 2125 removes a restriction that previously barred adjunct teachers from teaching special education classes in early childhood education programs. The bill authorizes adjunct teachers to instruct in special education within these programs, expanding their teaching scope. This change directly affects adjunct teachers employed in Oklahoma's early childhood education settings. The bill is currently pending in the Oklahoma legislature after passing committee amendments.
HB 1280 (2025) requires Oklahoma school districts to spend at least 50% of their annual budget on classroom instruction starting in 2025-2026. If a district falls below this threshold, it must increase instructional spending by 2% annually until reaching 50%, or face a written warning and, after four years of non-compliance, a permanent 2% annual teacher pay raise for each year missed. The bill defines "annual budget" to exclude bond sales, fundraisers, and non-educational grants, and "instructional expenditures" per federal standards. The bill failed to pass (36-57) on March 27, 2025, so it is not law.
