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STATE OF OKLAHOMA
1st Session of the 60th Legislature (2025)
SENATE BILL 756 By: Deevers
AS INTRODUCED
An Act relating to teachers; creating the Local
Teacher Licensure Act; providing short title;
providing purpose; authorizing school dist rict boards
of education to evaluate and recommend teacher
licensure or certification applications; providing
process requirements for the State Board of
Education; providing for certain failure to act
within certain time period to result in certain
approval if certain conditions are met ; providing
term of certain licenses or certif icates; subjecting
licenses or certificates to certain renewal;
directing the State Board of Education to retain
certain oversight; directing the State Department of
Education to maintain certain records; directing
school district boards of education to establish
certain minimum procedures; providing for
promulgation of rules; providing for codification;
providing an effective date; and declaring an
emergency.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF OKLAHOMA:
SECTION 1. NEW LAW A new section of law to be codified
in the Oklahoma Statutes as Section 5 -117.8 of Title 70, unless
there is created a duplication in numbering, reads as follows:
A. This act shall be known and may be cited as the “Local
Teacher Licensure Act ”. The purpose of the Local Teacher Licensure
Act shall be to grant school district boards of education the
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authority to evaluate and recommend teacher licensure or
certification applications. The State Board of Education shall
maintain final oversight and ratification authority over the
issuance of teacher licenses or certificates in compliance with
Section 5 of Article XIII of the Oklahoma Constitution and Section
3-104 of Title 70 of the Oklahoma Statutes.
B. School district boards of education are hereby authorized to
evaluate and recommend approval of teacher licensure or
certification applications to the State Board of Education based on
the standards set forth in Title 70 of the Oklahoma Statutes.
C. Upon receiving a recommendation for licensure or
certification from a school district board of education, the State
Board of Education shall:
1. Review the recommendation for completeness and compliance
with statutory requireme nts including, but not limited to, Sections
5-142, 6-107, 6-122.3, 6-187, and 6-190 of Title 70 of the Oklahoma
Statutes;
2. Approve or reject the licensure or certification
recommendations within thirty (30) calendar days of receipt; and
3. Provide written notification of approval or rejection to the
recommending school district board of education and the licensure or
certification applicant.
D. Failure of the State Board of Education to act on a
recommendation within thirty (30) calendar days pursuant to
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subsection C of this section shall result in the Board ’s automatic
approval of the license or certificate ; provided, however, that the
recommendation submitted by the school district board of education
meets all statutory and procedural requirements set forth in Title
70 of the Oklahoma Statutes and the rules promulgated by the B oard.
E. Teacher licenses or certificates issued pursuant to the
provisions of this section shall be valid for a term of five (5)
years from the date of issuance and shall be su bject to renewal in
accordance with the provisions of Section 6 -108.1 of Title 70 of the
Oklahoma Statutes.
F. The State Board of Education shall retain oversight of all
teacher licensure or certification processes, and the State
Department of Education s hall maintain all records regarding teacher
licenses or certificates issued pu rsuant to this section.
G. School district boards of education shall establish
transparent procedures for licensure or certification
recommendations including:
1. Timelines for application submission, which shall provide
teacher license or certificate applicants with a minimum of twenty
(20) calendar days to complete the process;
2. A timeline for board of education review and approval or
rejection, not to exceed thirty (30) ca lendar days from the date of
application submission; and
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3. Written notificat ion to the teacher license or certificate
applicant and the State Department of Education within five (5)
business days of the board of education ’s decision.
H. The State Board of Education may promulgate rules to
implement the provisions 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, he alth, or safety, an emergency is hereby
declared to exist, by reason whereof t his act shall take effect and
be in full force from and after its passage and approval.
60-1-1302 EB 1/15/2025 2:05:18 PM