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SENATE FLOOR VERSION
February 25, 2025
SENATE BILL NO. 707 By: Pugh
An Act relating to school accreditation; amending 70
O.S. 2021, Section 3 -104.4, which relates to
standards of accreditation for public schools;
directing standards to be adopted fo r accreditation
of public school districts rather than public
schools; directing standards to provide for
deficiencies; providing for closure of school
district that fails to receive or loses
accreditation; directing evaluations of school
districts to occur once every four years beginning in
certain school year; removing language allowing the
State Board of Education to interrupt certain
evaluation schedule; modifying reasons for which a
school district may be evaluated annually; providing
for annual evaluation of school districts that
receive one or more deficiencies beginning in certain
school year; updating statutory language; updating
statutory reference; providing an effective date; and
declaring an emergency .
BE IT ENACTED BY THE PEOPLE OF THE STA TE OF OKLAHOMA:
SECTION 1. AMENDATORY 70 O.S. 2021, Section 3 -104.4, is
amended to read as follows:
Section 3-104.4. A. The State Board of Education shall adopt
standards for the accreditation of the public schools school
districts in this state according to the requirements of Section 3 -
104.3 et seq. of this title, to be effective as set forth in Section
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3-104.3 et seq. of this title. The accreditation standards shall
incorporate the curricular standards established pursuant to Section
11-103.6 of this title. The accreditation standards shall equal or
exceed nationally recognized accreditation standards to the extent
that the standards are consistent with an academic results oriented
approach to accreditation. The accreditatio n standards adopted by
the State Board shall encompass accreditation for elementary
schools, middle schools, junior high schools, and high schools. The
accreditation standards shall be made available for public
inspection at the offices of the State Depar tment of Education.
B. Standards for accreditation adopted by the State Board of
Education shall include standards relating to the provision of
school counselors to the public school children of this state. The
State Board of Education shall require each local school district to
provide information regarding the number of counselors serving each
school site, the duties of all such counselors including all
administrative duties, the number of students served by e ach
counselor, and information regarding the number of counselors
employed per elementary school, middle school, junior high school ,
and high school.
C. Except as otherwise provided, schools school districts shall
meet the accreditation standards as a condition of continued
accreditation. Nothing herein shall be construed as preventing
changes to the adopted standards by the State Board of Education
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pursuant to the Administrative Procedures Act. The accreditation
standards shall provide for deficiencies, warnings, probation, or
nonaccredited status for schools school districts that fail to meet
the one or more or all standards. The State Department of Education
shall investigate a complaint of failure to provide educational
services or failure to comply with accreditation standards within
thirty (30) days of receiving the complaint. If the Department
determines that a school district has failed to comply with the
accreditation standards, the Department shall report the recommended
deficiencies, warning, probation, or nonaccredited accreditation
status to the State Board of Education within ninety (90) days. If
a school district does not take action to comply with the
accreditation standards within ninety (90) days after a report is
filed by the Department, the Board shall withdraw accreditation fo r
the public school district. The State Board of Education’s
accreditation regulations rules shall provide for warnings and for
assistance to schools and school districts whenever there is reason
to believe a school district is in danger of losing its sta te
accreditation.
D. If one or more a school sites fail district fails to receive
accreditation as required pursuant to this section or subsequently
lose loses accreditation, the State Board of Education shall close
the school district and reassign the students to accredited schools
within the district school districts or shall annex the district to
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one or more other districts in which the students can be educated in
accredited schools.
E. Standards for accredit ation adopted by the State Board of
Education shall include standards relating to the provision of
educational services provided in partial hospitalization programs,
day treatment programs, day hospital programs, residential treatment
programs, and emergency shelter programs for persons between the
ages of three (3) and twenty -one (21) years of age. The
accreditation standards shall apply to on -site and off-site
educational services provided by public school districts or state -
accredited private schools. Each school district which is providing
or is required to provide educational services for students placed
in a program as described in this subsection shall be actively
monitored by the State Department of Education. The Department
shall determine on an ongoing basis if the educational program and
services are in compliance with the accreditation standards.
F. The State Board of Education shall provide assistance to
districts in considering the possibility of meeting accreditation
requirements through th e use of nontraditional means of instruction .
The State Board shall also assist districts in forming cooperatives
and making arrangements for the use of satellite instruction or
other instructional technologies to the extent that use of such
instructional means meets accreditation standards.
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G. 1. Accreditation shall not be withdrawn from or denied nor
shall a penalty be assessed against a school or school district for
failing to meet the media materials and equipment standards, media
program expenditure standards, and media personnel standards as set
forth in the accreditation standards adopted by the Board.
2. The provisions of paragraph 1 of this subsection shall cease
to be effective during the fiscal year which begins on the July 1
immediately succeeding the legislative session during which t he
measure appropriating monies to the State Board of Education for the
financial support of public schools is enacted as law and such
appropriation amount is at least Fifty Million Dollars
($50,000,000.00) great er than the amount of money appropriated to
the State Board of Education for the financial support of public
schools for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2019, pursuant to
Chapter 146, O.S.L. 2018. Provided, the Fifty Million Dollars
($50,000,000.00) shall not include any amount of appropriations
dedicated for support or certified employee salary increases.
Accreditation shall not be withdrawn from or denied nor shall a
penalty be assessed against a school or school district for failing
to meet the media personnel standards as set forth in accredita tion
standards adopted by the Board.
H. 1. The State Board of Education shall not assess a
financial penalty against any school district which is given a
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deficiency in accreditation status during any fiscal year as
provided for in this subsection.
2. Beginning with the fiscal year which begins July 1, 2021, if
the amount of money appropriated to the State Board of Education for
the financial support of public schools including funds apportioned
pursuant to Section 2 Section 426 of this act Title 63 of the
Oklahoma Statutes, is at least One Hundred Million Dollars
($100,000,000.00) greater than the amount of money appropriated to
the State Board of Education for the financial support of public
schools for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2019, pursuant to
Chapter 146, O.S.L. 2018, a financial penalty shall be assessed
against any school districts that do not comply with the class size
limitations for kindergarten as provided for in Section 18 -113.2 of
this title and class size limitations for grade one as pr ovided for
in subsection A of Section 18 -113.1 of this title. Provided, the
One Hundred Million Dollars ($100,000,000.00) shall not include any
amount of appropriations dedicated for support or certified employee
salary increases.
3. The State Department of Education shall submit a report on
statewide classroom sizes to the President Pro Tempore of the
Oklahoma State Senate and the Speaker of the Oklahoma House of
Representatives no later than January 1, 2022.
I. Except as provided for in subsection J of this section,
beginning with the 2019-2020 2025-2026 school year, evaluations of
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schools school districts to determine whether they meet the
accreditation standards set forth in accordance with this section
shall occur once every four (4) years on a sched ule adopted by the
State Board of Education. The Board may interrupt the evaluation
schedule provided in this subsection for reasons including a change
in the superintendent of the school district; determination that one
or more school district board memb ers have not met the continuing
education requirements as defined by this title; determination that
the school district falsified information submitted to any public
city, county, state or federal official or agency; initiation of an
investigation by the B oard or a law enforcement agency; or other
determination by the Board that standards for accreditation are not
being met by the school district. The schedule adopted by the Board
shall allow for school districts receiving no deficiencies for two
(2) consecutive years to be reviewed for accreditation less than
annually. Provided, however, that schools school districts shall be
evaluated annually for the purposes of:
1. Local, state, and federal funding;
2. Health and safety;
3. Certification requirement s for teachers, principals , and
superintendents; and
4. School board governance , including instructional and
continuing education requirements for school board members ; and
5. Any other requirements under state or federal law.
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J. Beginning with the 2019-2020 2025-2026 school year, if a
public school district receives a deficiency one or more
deficiencies on its accreditation report, the public school district
shall be evaluated annually to determine if it meets the
accreditation standards set forth in ac cordance with this section.
If the public school district receives no deficiencies for two (2)
consecutive years, the public school district shall be subject to
the evaluation timeline established in subsection I of this section.
SECTION 2. This act shall become effective July 1, 2025.
SECTION 3. It being immediately necessary for the preservation
of the public peace, health, or safety, an emergency is hereby
declared to exist, by reason whereof this act shall take effect and
be in full force from and after its passage and approval.
COMMITTEE REPORT BY: COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION
February 25, 2025 - DO PASS