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Contents:
On Oct. 15, OSDE posted a P-EBT Benefits Review Form online for families to complete if they believe they are missing P-EBT benefits for the 2020-21 school year. Please share this link with families if they reach out to you about the program. OSDE is batching concerns from this form so that districts will be able to review them and make additions to eligibility. Families will need their student's STN (10-digit state testing number) to complete the form by Nov. 30, 2021.
For those cases in which the student does not qualify for P-EBT because the data was not reported correctly, OSDE is developing a process for districts to correct specific information for previously missed students to receive benefits. To save time when that process becomes available, please start reviewing your data now to determine what corrections may be needed. These corrections will be made in the Accountability Reporting application, available in Single Sign On. Instructions and deadlines will be issued in the coming weeks so that sites can make needed corrections. The corrected data from districts will then be compiled and sent to OKDHS for P-EBT benefit issuance. Any new benefits are set to be disbursed in Spring 2022.
To see the P-EBT FAQs for Families in English, P-EBT FAQs for Families in Spanish and P-EBT FAQs for School Leaders, visit www.sde.ok.gov/pebt.
The Third Grade Promotion Retention report is open in the Wave. The report is due Oct. 31. Each site is required to report the promotion or retention action made for 2020-21 third-grade students who did not meet RSA criteria on the Oklahoma State Testing Program (OSTP). This includes those students who did not participate in the OSTP.
View a report tutorial here.
If you have questions, contact Melissa Ahlgrim at melissa.ahlgrim@sde.ok.gov.
The October 1 Consolidated Report is located on the Wave’s Portal via Single Sign-On under Reporting > State Reporting Certification.
View the October 1 Consolidated Report Guide for tips on how to navigate the report, reporting reminders and a list of changes.
Although the review process is currently open, the certification and confirmation window for superintendents and principals will close Monday at 11:59 p.m.
If you have questions, contact the Office of Data & Information Systems at studentdatainfo@sde.ok.gov.
Districts must submit claims for reimbursement and Low-Income Reports so that funding from various sources can be calculated correctly and in a timely manner.
Both reports must be submitted after Oct. 31.
As soon as possible after Oct. 31, districts should log on to the CNP Claims Application and Review System (CARS) to enter an October SSO claim for reimbursement. Please note that October claims must be certified before districts will be allowed to access the Low-Income Report.
View the School Year 2021-22 October Reports Memo for detailed instructions and additional information.
OSDE's Office of Child Nutrition is also hosting an upcoming webinar to assist districts with submitting the reports.
Low-Income Report Webinar
Thursday, 1 p.m.
Register here
If you have questions, contact the Office of Child Nutrition at (405) 521-3327.
Last week, the Gifted and Talented Report opened on Single Sign-On. Since that time, OSDE has been made aware of saving and/or uploading issues with the report. We are working quickly to resolve these issues.
In recognition of the reported issues and to allow districts ample time to submit and certify the report, the Gifted and Talented reporting window will close Nov. 20.
If you have questions, contact Amy Wingard at amy.wingard@sde.ok.gov or Ashley Moore at ashley.moore@sde.ok.gov.
The Oklahoma Department of Environmental Quality is pleased to announce a grant program meant to reduce diesel vehicle emissions in the state.
The Clean Diesel/DERA Program will offer approximately $734,000 toward diesel or gasoline school bus replacements.
A full description of eligible projects can be found in the grant solicitation, which can be accessed here.
Applications are due on or before Dec. 10.
For more information, visit the Oklahoma Clean Diesel Program web page or email cleandiesel@deq.ok.gov.
The Office of Federal Programs will host “Supporting the Education of Unaccompanied Youth Experiencing Homelessness” tomorrow at 9:30 a.m. This webinar will address key concepts related to the education of unaccompanied youth experiencing homelessness included in the McKinney-Vento Act. Concepts that will be covered include McKinney-Vento Act definitions of unaccompanied and homeless, educational rights and supports for unaccompanied homeless students, and supports for unaccompanied homeless youth transitioning to higher education.
Register here
If you have questions, contact Tammy Smith at tammy.smith@sde.ok.gov or (405) 522-3260.
A number of new education laws are in effect starting Nov. 1. View bill language below. For in-depth summaries, view OSDE's 2021 Red Banner Book.
Academic Counseling
SB 261: Creates the Oklahoma Student Borrower’s Bill of Rights Act, directing the Attorney General to compose the "Oklahoma Student Borrower's Bill of Rights" for a student loan borrower who takes out a student education loan with a student loan servicer. The statement must include plain and clear language prohibiting a student loan servicer from engaging in any act that misleads, deceives or defrauds student borrowers. Loan servicers are also prohibited from making false statements or omitting material facts when submitting reports to a governmental agency. Effective November 1, 2021.
SB 317: Allows anyone aged 16 or older currently enrolled in high school and a work-ready program to be licensed as a student electrical intern under the Construction Industries Board (CIB) after completing a national criminal background check as required by the Board. A student intern certificate will be effective for one year, separate from the existing apprenticeship certificate, and issued upon payment of a fee after meeting requirements prescribed by the Board. Lastly, places of cap of one intern per physical job site under direct supervision by a single journeyman or contractor, provided the intern will not count towards the cap on apprentices allowed to work under a single supervisor. Interns are prohibited from working on high voltage systems defined by the National Electrical Code. Effective November 1, 2021.
SB 639: Requires the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education to administer a survey to students receiving Oklahoma Higher Learning Access Program (OHLAP) awards who withdraw from institutions of higher education prior to completing a program or degree. The survey must gather information on a student’s reasons to withdraw, barriers to program completion, and the student’s future plans. Beginning December 31, 2022, the State Regents must submit an annual report to the Legislature on the impact of OHLAP (also known as Oklahoma’s Promise). The report must contain information on retention and graduations rates, as well as the number of participating students who remain state residents one year following graduation and the industry in which they find employment. Effective November 1, 2021.
Accountability, Assessments & Student Info
HB 2030: Requires the Oklahoma subject matter standards for history, social studies and U.S. Government to include the study of important historical documents, including the Constitution, Declaration of Independence, Emancipation Proclamation and Federalist Papers; simulations of the democratic process; and lessons on the structure and relationship between the levels of government. Beginning with ninth graders in the 2021 school year (class of 2025), students are required to earn a passing score of 60 out of 100 questions on the United States naturalization test to graduate high school. School districts must offer the test at least once per year, beginning as early as eighth grade, and provide retakes as often as requested until a passing score is earned. Students with disabilities who are assessed through the Oklahoma Alternate Assessment Program (OAAP) are exempt from the requirement. Effective November 1, 2021.
Certification & Retirement
HB 2748: Requires the State Board of Education to issue a one-year alternative teacher certificate, renewable for up to three years, to early childhood or elementary education candidates who declare their intention to earn standard certification within three years. Candidates may enter the classroom immediately as they work toward full certification provided they meet certain benchmarks each year that include completing credit hours and receiving instructional coaching in the areas of reading, classroom management, child development and math instruction. Effective November 1, 2021.
Children, Families & Students
HB 1882: Creates the "Out-of-Schooltime Task Force," directed to identify ways to increase and improve the number of quality, affordable out-of-school programs in the state and report findings to the Oklahoma Legislature and Governor by December 1, 2022. The State Superintendent of Public Instruction has a seat on the task force, two appointments and is required to call the task force’s first meeting by February 1, 2022, during which a chair and vice-chair will be selected. Effective November 1, 2021.
HB 1967: Requires a school bus driver witnessing a vehicle passing a bus while loading or offloading students to report this traffic violation on or before the end of the next business day, rather than within 24 hours. Effective November 1, 2021.
SB 104: Authorizes physical therapy sessions to be provided in person or remotely via telehealth to individuals or groups and defines telehealth and telecommunication. Effective November 1, 2021.
SB 283: Requires anyone found guilty of furnishing alcoholic beverages to persons under 21 years of age to attend a victim's impact panel program in addition to existing punishments. Effective November 1, 2021.
Curriculum
SB 252: Requires all public high schools to offer a minimum of one grade-appropriate computer science course to students each year. All public middle and elementary schools must offer instruction aligned to the Oklahoma Academic Standards for Computer Science, which may be offered through a stand-alone course or within an existing course. These requirements are to take effect beginning in the 2024-2025 school year. Starting June 30, 2025, each school district will submit an annual report to OSDE regarding the computer science courses offered. Effective November 1, 2021.
Funding & Budget
SB 609: Doubles the required investment amount (from $250,000 to $500,000) for new manufacturing construction, acquisition or expansion in order to qualify for the state’s existing 5-year ad valorem tax exemption in calendar year 2022 and establishes a mechanism to increase the required threshold in each subsequent year based upon the previous year's increase in the Consumer Price Index-All Urban Consumers (CPIU). It expands the Tax Commission’s oversight of the program, including the assessment of county property values. The bill expands the definition of qualifying facilities while specifying that the exemption be exclusive to manufacturing. Data processing businesses, such as Google, are eligible to receive ad valorem tax incentives or exemptions through local Tax Increment Financing (TIF) districts for up to 25 years for new investment. These businesses may also apply for the 5-year ad valorem exemption for personal property located within previously exempted real property and placed in service by December 31, 2036. Estimated to have an unknown fiscal impact on claims made against the Ad Valorem Reimbursement Fund in fiscal years 2022 and 2023. Effective November 1, 2021.
SB 1080: Enacts significant reforms to the Oklahoma Equal Opportunity Education Scholarship by modifying the total tax credit cap, manner of allocation, eligibility and by providing additional oversight. Namely, the bill increases the total annual tax credit cap from $5 to $50 million, expanding the program to include public school districts/foundations, and divides the total cap evenly between public and private schools/organizations($25 million each). The measure allows suspended credits to be used in the next tax year. Scholarship and educational improvement granting organizations, as well as public school foundations and public-school districts, must submit financial audits to the Oklahoma Tax Commission (OTC), the Legislature and the Governor, and make documents publicly available online. Additionally, taxpayers making contributions to eligible public school districts/foundations will receive an increased credit percentage for donating in consecutive years if the taxpayer provides evidence of the written commitment to OTC when filing the refund claim. Lastly, the bill places a $200,000 cap on annual contributions to an individual public school district. Effective November 1, 2021.
Professional Development
HB 1593: Revises the frequency for certain professional development requirements including training on the importance of digital teaching and learning standards, recognizing and addressing the mental health needs of students, emphasizing the importance of incorporating workplace safety training into curriculum and in-service training on alcohol and drug abuse. Each training program must be completed during a teacher’s first year of employment at a district and be retaken at specified intervals. Effective November 1, 2021.
School Boards
HB 1046: Requires each school district to post a copy or hyperlink of the most recent financial audit on the front page of its website. Effective November 1, 2021.
HB 1801: Expands the requirements for "Riley’s Rule," requiring local school boards to coordinate with local emergency medical service providers in developing an Emergency Action Plan for each athletic practice, event or activity held at school district facilities. The plan must include contact, directory and map information for emergency medical services, a designated medical administrator be provided to all school athletics and events staff, specify evaluation and debriefing procedures following an emergency, and be updated and rehearsed annually. Lastly, the plan must be provided to visiting athletic teams or otherwise made available on the school district website. Effective November 1, 2021.
HB 1963: Requires the Governor to make a temporary appointment for a local school board should the board ever have insufficient membership to attain a quorum and conduct business. Effective November 1, 2021.
HB 2862: Raises the thresholds for competitive bidding requirements. For public construction contracts, the amount is raised from $50,000 to $100,000. The limit that may be negotiated with a qualified contractor is raised from $5,000 to $10,000. The limit on contracts under an emergency authority declared by the governing body of a public agency is raised from $75,000 to $150,000. Effective November 1, 2021.
SB 738: Provides that interlocal entities organized to insure an Oklahoma educational institution will be considered insurers for all kinds of insurance provided. Requires the Insurance Commissioner to notify and demand corrective action of educational institution insurers the Commissioner reasonably believes to be insolvent or engaged in hazardous business practices jeopardizing the public or policy holders. Effective November 1, 2021.
School Sites
HB 1124: Creates the State Broadband Deployment Grant Program, directing the Oklahoma Department of Commerce, with the participation and advice of the Rural Broadband Expansion Council, to issue competitive grants to promote expansions of broadband internet services in the state. Creates a revolving fund within the treasury to support the program. Effective November 1, 2021.
HB 2646: Makes comprehensive changes to the state’s medical marijuana statutes, including the areas of licensing, growing and packaging. Additionally, the measure clarifies that the minimum distance of 1,000 feet between a dispensary or disposal facility and a school is to be measured from the nearest school property line to the nearest perimeter wall of the facility and that school property not used for instruction will not constitute a school for the purposes of required distancing. Lastly, includes middle schools alongside elementary and high schools in the 1,000-foot distancing requirement. Effective November 1, 2021.
SB 54: Requires the State Department of Education to designate a school district or individual campus as a Purple Star Campus if the school or district applies for the designation and agrees to provide certain services benefiting military-connected students and their families, in addition to offering related professional development for staff. Effective November 1, 2021.
State Board/Dept. of Education
HB 1018: Repeals the required publication and distribution of the biennial school laws book by the State Department of Education. Effective November 1, 2021.
HB 2223: Requires the State Department of Education to maintain the dyslexia handbook created by the Dyslexia and Education Taskforce by making revisions and additions as recommended by stakeholders every three years. The Department must consult with each member of the original task force, if available, during the revision process. Any revisions must include, but are not limited to, specified criteria for assisting school districts in screening for dyslexia and educating students who have dyslexia. Effective November 1, 2021.
Trauma-Informed/Mental Health
HB 1103: Requires public schools to administer the Oklahoma Prevention Needs Assessment (OPNA) survey every two years beginning in the 2022-23 school year for the purpose of improving student mental health and substance abuse outcomes. Requires the Oklahoma Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services (ODMHSAS) to assist in administering the survey, maintain all collected data and develop a waiver process allowing schools to administer an alternate assessment to meet the requirement. Lastly, the Assessment will only be administered as federal funding is available. Effective November 1, 2021.
HB 1568: Creates Maria’s Law, requiring the State Board of Education to mandate that all schools provide instruction in mental health, emphasizing the interrelation between physical and mental well-being, beginning with the 2022-23 school year. Requires the Board, in consultation with the Oklahoma Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services (ODMHSAS), to revise the Oklahoma Academic Standards for Health and Physical Education and develop age-appropriate resources for students in grades K-12, which will be made available on the Department of Education website. Additionally, local school districts may enter into agreements with nonprofits and other community partners to provide this education to students. Directs the Board to develop rules to implement the provisions. Effective November 1, 2021.
HB 1773: Requires teacher candidates in early childhood, elementary, secondary and special education, as part of their competency-based teacher preparation program, to study the background and implementation of multi-tiered systems of support (MTSS) designed to address the core academic and nonacademic needs of all students. Candidates will receive grade-appropriate training on applying MTSS in the areas of structured literacy, mathematics, classroom management and trauma-informed instruction at a minimum. Effective November 1, 2021.
HB 2318: Modifies rules on the termination of parental rights to include any findings of heinous or shocking child abuse or neglect or failing to protect any child from heinous or shocking abuse or neglect as legal grounds for the termination of parental rights. Effective November 1, 2021.
HB 2515: Clarifies that the crime of child abuse and neglect may apply to any person responsible for the health of the child, not only the child’s parents. Effective November 1, 2021.
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