Req. No. 180 Page 1 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 STATE OF OKLAHOMA 1st Session of the 60th Legislature (2025) SENATE BILL 758 By: Thompson AS INTRODUCED An Act relating to schools; amending 70 O.S. 2021, Section 1-109, which relates to length of the school year; allowing a school district or certain charter school to include emergency virtual days in certain policy; providing reasons for which emergency virtual days may be used; allowing the State Board of Education to approve use of virtual instruction; defining term; requiring notificatio n within certain time period; providing for contents of notification; requiring the State Department of Education to make certain determination within certain time period; requiring a school district or charter school to provide certain in-person instruction if certain determination is made; providing process for appeal; directing virtual instruction to consist of certain number of hours; allowing the Department to audit certain records and make certain determination; requiring certain in -person instruction if certain determination is made; providing process for appeal; defining term; requiring publication and submission of certain annual report; providing for contents of report; updating statutory language; updating statutory reference; providing an effecti ve date; and declaring an emergency. BE IT ENACTED BY THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF OKLAHOMA: SECTION 1. AMENDATORY 70 O.S. 2021, Section 1 -109, is amended to read as follows: Req. No. 180 Page 2 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 Section 1-109. A. For all public schools in Oklahoma this state, school shall actually be in session and classroom instru ction offered: 1. For not less than one hundred eighty (180) days; or 2. For not less than one thousand eighty (1,080) hours each school year, if a district board of education adopts a school-hours policy and notifies the State Board of Education prior to October 15 of the applicable school year; or 3. Beginning with the 2021 -2022 school year, for not less than one thousand eighty (1,080) hours with a minimum of one hundred sixty-five (165) days of instruction each school year, if a district board of education adopts a school -hours policy and notifies the State Board of Education prior to October 15 of the applicable school year; or 4. Beginning with the 2021 -2022 school year, for not less than one thousand eighty (1,080) hours each school year, if a district board of education adopts a school -hours policy, notifies the State Board of Education prior to October 15 of the applicable school year, and meets the requirements establi shed by the State Board of Education pursuant to subsection H of this section. B. A school district may not count more than thirty (30) hours each school year that are used for attendance of professional meetings toward the one hundred eighty (180) days o r one thousand Req. No. 180 Page 3 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 eighty (1,080) hours of classroom instruction time required in subsection A of this section. C. Teachers off contract with an employing district shall not be required by the employing school district to attend professional meetings unless the teacher is paid additional compensation for the additional time. Teachers may be paid additional compensation for attending professional meetings in excess of their contract term. Subject to district board of education policy or collective bargaining agreement, additional paid professional days may be granted for individual teachers to attend or participate in professional meetings, staff development training, or National Board certification portfolio development as provided for in Section 6 - 204.2 of this title. D. A school district may authorize parent -teacher conferences to be held during a regular school day. If authorized by the school district, parent-teacher conferences shall be counted as classroom instruction time for no more than six (6) hour s per semester, for a total of twelve (12) hours per school year. E. A school district may maintain school for less than a full school year only when conditions beyond the control of school authorities make the maintenance of the term impossible and the State Board of Education has been apprised and has expressed concurrence in writing. Req. No. 180 Page 4 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 F. The State Board of Education shall establish criteria for an extended-day schedule for schools subject to paragraph 1 of subsection A of this section. The criteria sha ll: 1. Prescribe a lengthened school day within limits determined not to be detrimental to quality instruction; 2. Ensure that the schedule is equivalent in annual hours of instruction to the one -hundred-eighty-day school year specified in paragraph 1 of subsection A of this section; and 3. Be consistent with the provisions of th is section and Sections 1-111 and 1-112 of this title, but may result in fewer annual days of instruction. G. Notwithstanding the provisions of subsection F of this section, a school district board of education subject to paragraph 1 of subsection A of this section may adopt and implement an extended - day schedule subject to the following requirements: 1. The annual number of hours of instruction shall equal or exceed one thousand eighty (1,080) hours, which is the equivalent of one hundred eighty (180) da ys of instruction as specified in subsection A of this section for six (6) hours each day as specified in Section 1-111 of this title; 2. The annual number of days of instructio n shall equal or exceed one hundred eighty (180) days as specified in subsection A of this section; Req. No. 180 Page 5 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 3. The schedule adopted shall be consistent with the provisions of Sections 1-111 and 1-112 of this title, except that for not more than one (1) day per we ek, a school day shall consist of not less than five (5) hours devoted to acad emic instruction in a regular classroom setting; 4. The district shall hold a public hearing prior to the adoption of an extended -day schedule authorized pursuant to this subsection; and 5. The district shall document the impact on student achievement as determined by the academic performance data score and any other relevant factors that are a result of implementation of an extended-day schedule authorized pursuant to this subs ection and provide an annual report to the State Board of Education of the results. If improvement in student achievement cannot be documented in the report, the district board of education shall revoke authorization as provided by this subsection. If th e district does not revoke authorization after student achievement is not documented in the report, the State Board of Education may deny accreditation of any school in violation of this subsection. H. Beginning with the 2021 -2022 school year, a school di strict board of education may adopt a school -hours policy as provided for by paragraph 4 of subsection A of this section only if it meets or exceeds the minimum guidelines for student performance and school district cost savings established by the State Bo ard of Education. Req. No. 180 Page 6 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 The State Board of Education shall promulgate rules, subject to approval by the Legislature, establishing the minimum guidelines for student performance and school district cost savings. I. If subject to paragraph 2 of subsection A of t his section, a district board of education or designee may elect to close a sc hool during the school day for inclement weather purposes. In such an event, the number of hours incurred in classroom instruction time prior to school closure shall be counted toward the one thousand eighty (1,080) hours per year requirement. J. 1. A school district or charter school created pursuant to Section 3-132 of this title may include in its policy adopted pursuant to subsection A of this section one or more emergency virtual days during which instruction shall be delivered to students virtually. For the purposes of this subsection, reasons for an emergency virtual day shall only include inclement weather, unavailability of teachers and support staff due to illness, an d building maintenance issues. No school district or charter school may close school to provide virtual instruction except as provided for in this subsection or as approved by the State Board of Education. For the purposes of this subsection, “virtual instruction” means the use of the internet or other digital information transmis sion systems as a form of instruction. 2. a. If a school district administrator determines it necessary to use an emergency virtual day, he or she Req. No. 180 Page 7 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 shall notify the State Departme nt of Education within seventy-two (72) hours of the determination being made. The notification shall include the date or dates during which virtual instruction was to be provided and the reason for providing virtual instruction. b. Within one (1) calendar week of receiving the notification required by subparagraph a of this paragraph, the State Department of Education shall determine whether the use of virtual instruction complied with the provisions of this subsection. If the Department determines use o f virtual instruction did not comply with the provisions of this subsection, the school district or charter school shall be required to provide an additional day of in -person instruction. c. If the State Department of Education determines the use of virtual instruction did not comply with the provisions of this subsection, the schoo l district or charter school may appeal the decision to the State Board of Education. 3. a. Instruction delivered virtually pursuant to the provisions of this subsection shall co nsist of: Req. No. 180 Page 8 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 (1) a minimum of five and one -half (5 1/2) hours for grades kindergarten through eight including at least three (3) hours of synchronous instruction, and (2) a minimum of six (6) hours for grades nine through twelve including at least four (4) ho urs of synchronous instruction. b. Upon receiving the notification required by subparagraph a of paragraph 2 of this subsection, the State Department of Education may audit school district or charter school records to determine whether a majority of studen ts enrolled in the school district or charter school complied with the minimum hours of synchronous instruction required by this paragraph. If the Department determines less than a majority of students enrolled in the school district or charter school com plied with the minimum hours required by this paragraph, the school district o r charter school shall be required to provide an additional day of in -person instruction. c. If the State Department of Education determines less than a majority of students enro lled in the school district or charter school complied with the minimum hours required by this paragraph, the school district Req. No. 180 Page 9 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 or charter school may appeal the decision to the State Board of Education. For the purposes of this subsection, “synchronous instruction” means real-time interaction between a teacher and students as the prim ary format of instruction. K. By June 30, 2026, and by June 30 each subsequent year, the State Department of Education shall publish on its website and electronically submit to the Governor, the President Pro Tempore of the Senate, and the Speaker of the House of Representatives a report with information regarding the use of emergency virtual days, as provided for in subsection J of this section. The report shall include, at a minimum: 1. The school districts and charter schools that used emergency virtual days and the number of emergency virtual days used by each school district and charter school; 2. The reason for which emergency virtual days were used; and 3. The school districts and charter schools, if any, that were required to provide an additional day of in -person instruction pursuant to subparagraph b of paragraph 2 of subsection J of this section. L. Nothing in this section shall be construed as affecting the right of an employing school district to require teachers as defined in Section 6-101.3 of this title to work in excess of the one thousand eighty (1,080) hours required for student instruction. In Req. No. 180 Page 10 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 addition, nothing in this section shall be construed to affect t he Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 status of any school district employee. K. M. The provisions of this section shall not prohibit the Oklahoma School for the Blind or the Oklahoma School for the Deaf from adopting an alternative school -hours policy if the Oklahoma School for the Blind or the Oklahoma School for the Deaf notifies and receives approval from the State Board of Education prior to October 15 of the applicable school year. SECTION 2. This act shall become effective July 1, 202 5. 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 passag e and approval. 60-1-180 EB 1/15/2025 2:15:02 PM