After significant pushback from the educator community, a bill that would have disallowed schools from counting professional development days and parent-teacher conferences toward its instructional time minimum, without providing for additional staff pay, was amended on the floor.
House Bill 3151 by Rep. Rob Hall (R-Tulsa) would now require schools that count hours instead of days to provide at least 173 days of instruction. It’s also contingent on a $175 million increase in education appropriations next session. It also requires districts that hold parent-teacher conferences during the school day to provide an in-person option.
“Time spent with students in the classroom is the highest and best use of resources we invest in our schools,” Hall said in a news release. “Spreading instructional time over more days will help keep students engaged throughout the school day and make the time our educators spend with them more effective.”
Two bills passed through their original chambers that target school libraries. House Bill 2978 by Rep. Chris Banning (R-Bixby) and Senate Bill 1250 by Sen. Warren Hamilton (R-McCurtain) would ban sexually explicit materials from libraries.
Critics say that may inadvertently prohibit libraries from carrying the Bible.
“Those who claim the Bible should fall into this category cannot fathom the content some children have actually been exposed to in books found on school library shelves,” Hamilton responded in a news release. “This bill is not targeting any particular subject, faith-based works or educational material, but it focuses solely on materials that can harm children and strip away their innocence.”
Senate Bill 1633 by Sen. Brenda Stanley (R-Midwest City) would block undocumented students from paying in-state tuition at Oklahoma public colleges and universities. The bill passed the floor despite a lengthy opposition from Senate Democrats.
The legislature will be in session Monday and Tuesday. Lawmakers are off for the rest of the week.
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