Bill > HB1937

This bill modifies existing law regarding communication between school personnel and students, and the procedures for placing school personnel on administrative leave during investigations. It clarifies the definition of "student" to include those enrolled in primary or secondary education seeking a diploma and expands the definition of "electronic or digital communication" to encompass various online messaging methods. A key change requires that school personnel can only be placed on administrative leave, which is a temporary paid or unpaid absence from their duties, if there is a *corroborated report* of a violation of student communication rules, meaning the report has been verified by evidence. Previously, a report alone could trigger administrative leave. The bill also removes the requirement that incidents be noted in employee files if no misconduct is found and instead mandates that the finding of no misconduct be included in the employee's file if they were placed on administrative leave during the investigation. If misconduct is found, the incident will be reported to law enforcement. The bill also specifies that emergency exceptions to communication rules are determined by the local school board and sets an effective date of July 1, 2026, declaring an emergency for immediate implementation.

Education

http://www.oklegislature.gov/BillInfo.aspx?Bill=hb1937&Session=2600