Bill that would significantly limit virtual learning days for Oklahoma students advances

Yahoo

07-04-2025

A bill that would prohibit Oklahoma school districts and charter schools from counting virtual instruction days toward the 180-day or 1,080-hour school-year requirement moved forward in a House subcommittee on Monday despite bipartisan opposition.
Supporters have cast Senate Bill 758 as a way to ensure students have more in-person learning, which they believe will lead to improved academic outcomes. Opponents counter that decisions about how to divvy up instructional time should best be left to local school boards.
The bill passed 7-4 in the House Appropriations and Budget education subcommittee, with Republicans Toni Hasenbeck, of Elgin, and Ronny Johns, of Ada, joining Democrats John Waldron, of Tulsa, and Michelle McCane, of Tulsa, in opposing the bill. The measure is sponsored by House Speaker Pro Tempore Anthony Moore, R-Clinton, and Chad Caldwell, R-Enid, the chair of the subcommittee.
More: State education board meeting suddenly postponed after member asks about violation
State Sen. Kristen Thompson, R-Edmond, is the bill's original author. She's making a second attempt on the bill this year after it failed to make it through the legislative process in 2024. The current version of the bill passed 33-14 in the Senate — with some far-right senators joining Democrats in opposition — after squeaking through the Senate Education Committee by a 7-5 vote.
'The main goal behind this is to get kids into classrooms,' Moore said, later adding, 'We either are serious about moving forward in the state or we're not.'
The bill proposes that starting with the 2026-27 school year, districts and charter schools would be permitted to close and provide virtual instruction for just two days, or 12 hours, per school year, and only if the state schools superintendent approves a plan adopted by a local school board, the governor issues a state of emergency affecting school operations and the school district's board authorizes the use of virtual instruction.
'Parents expect schools to be open and fully operational throughout the academic year. While technology can serve as a resource in emergencies, it should never replace the daily structure and social interaction that come with traditional classroom instruction,' Thompson said when the bill passed the Senate.
Some rural schools offer four-day in-person learning, with a fifth day either without classes or with virtual learning, which has become a common tool for districts large and small since the COVID-19 pandemic.
On Monday, Hasenbeck said 'five or six' districts she represents have used the four-day school model for years and that one of those districts — which she didn't name — 'is way outperforming other schools in my district.'
Waldron and McCane both brought up concerns about whether the bill would usurp the decision-making process of local school boards. Waldron also said the bill could have the unintended consequence of chasing teachers away from their profession during the middle of a major teacher shortage in Oklahoma.
'Let's address the teacher shortage first and address all other problems after that,' Waldron said.
Outside of the meeting, an advocate for rural schools said if the bill becomes law, it would eliminate one of the few ways rural schools have of recruiting teachers. Erika Buzzard Wright, the director of the Oklahoma Rural Schools Coalition, said schools using four-day weeks is no different from a business letting employees work four 10-hour days as opposed to five eight-hour days.
'They are complexly upending communities that support this and are doing well with this,' Wright said. 'Not every community fits into the same box. A four-day district works very well for our rural districts, and many of them have been doing this for decades. The vast majority of these districts are recruiting in hard-to-recruit areas and they're also competing with Texas schools that can go four days a week and offer more money.'
Senate Bill 758 advances to the full House Appropriations and Budget Committee. If approved there, it would move to the House floor.
Gov. Kevin Stitt already has indicated he's a fan of the bill. In a post on X on Friday, he said, 'As bills reach my desk, we have to prioritize common sense. I'm excited to see SB 758 head to the House. This bill ensures virtual instruction days don't count toward the 180-day school year, except in specific cases. Kids learn better in the classroom — it's just common sense.'
This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Oklahoma bill to limit virtual learning days advances