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Yahoo
06-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Cellphones will be banned in Oklahoma schools for 2025-26 school year: What to know
Oklahoma students won't have access to their cellphones while at school and will have fewer virtual school days under bills signed into law by Gov. Kevin Stitt. Sen. Ally Seifried, R-Claremore, and Rep. Chad Caldwell, R-Enid, worked for two years toward the passage of Senate Bill 139. The new law will require public school districts to limit student cellphone use during the school day ― from 'bell to bell' — for the entire 2025-26 school year. After that, district officials will have the flexibility to adjust their cellphone policies as they see fit. Seifried said the law is aimed at creating distraction-free learning environments for students. 'This will allow teachers to focus entirely on educating our kids while students can concentrate on learning as much as possible," she said. "After two years of hard work on this issue, I'm thrilled to see this legislation become law, and I'm confident students, parents and teachers will see immediate benefits once the new school year begins." Under the new law, district cellphone policies must make exceptions for students who need their phones to manage a medical condition and allow phone use in emergencies. Additionally, districts must clearly outline disciplinary actions for students who violate a school's phone-free policy. Virtual-days bill signed over objections of some rural schools Sen. Kristen Thompson, R-Edmond, and Rep. Anthony Moore, R-Clinton, authored Senate Bill 758, which will restrict Oklahoma school districts to only two virtual days per school year that can count toward the 180-day or 1,080-hour school year instructional requirement. The new law will require each district school board to approve a local virtual instruction plan that addresses special education services, nutrition for students who receive free or reduced lunches, transportation access to career tech programs and an assessment of students' internet accessibility. Senate President Pro Tempore Lonnie Paxton, R-Tuttle, said the measure was important to him and thanked Thompson for making the bill a priority. A bill limiting virtual days in Oklahoma schools, authored by Sen. Kristen Thompson, of Edmond, has been signed into law. 'I truly believe the best place for our kids to learn is in the classroom," Paxton said. "Once this becomes law, it will help with learning, social skills and working parents who have to schedule their lives around arbitrary virtual learning days.' Thompson spent two legislative sessions shepherding the bill, but she has received considerable pushback from leaders of small, rural school districts, some of which offer four-day school weeks — with either a virtual day or an off day on the fifth day ― as incentives to attract teachers to work in their districts. Erika Buzzard Wright, the founder of the Oklahoma Rural Schools Coalition, called Stitt's decision to sign the bill 'a significant setback' for rural school districts. She said voices from rural schools were "completely ignored throughout the legislative process' and said the new law 'effectively strips local districts of the ability to make decisions that best serve their students.' 'This is a slap in the face to local control — especially for rural districts that have worked tirelessly to attract and retain qualified educators,' Wright said. 'Our schools are already competing with neighboring states that not only offer better pay, but also embrace flexible, innovative school calendars.' She predicted schools located near Oklahoma's borders with other states will have teachers poached as a result. This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: When will Oklahoma's cellphone ban in schools begin? What to know
Yahoo
08-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Bill limiting virtual school days in Oklahoma advances
OKLAHOMA CITY (KFOR) – A bill limiting the amount of virtual days Oklahoma school districts can use during the school year advanced through a House subcommittee on Monday. Senate Bill 758, authored by Senator Kristen Thompson, R-Edmond, passed through the Senate side earlier in session and now it has made its way through a House Appropriations and Budget Education subcommittee. House Pro Tempore Anthony Moore, R-Clinton has backed the measure for the House. 'The main goal behind this is to get kids in classrooms to only do virtual days when it's actually needed,' said Moore. He said some districts have taken advantage of the virtual learning option.'There are school districts that had 43 days or more virtual days last year,' said Moore. 'That is not a way to increase the education of our students. This is not a way to increase the outcomes in our state.' The bill would not ban virtual days and only allow the option for emergency situations like bad weather, illness, teacher shortage issues, or building problems. It would allow two remote learning days as part of the school year, or 180 days. Bill could help food truck owners operate anywhere in Oklahoma The State Department of Education would publish an annual report that detailed which districts used emergency virtual days and when the days were used. Lawmakers questioning the bill said it oversteps local control. 'I think we need the guardrails, but I feel like this might be too limited in scope for what schools are able to do,' said Rep. Michelle McCane, D-Tulsa, a former teacher. Rep. John Waldron, D-Tulsa, said lawmakers should be focused on the more prevalent problems in Oklahoma schools. 'We've got to address the teacher shortage problem first, fix all other problems after that,' said Waldron. The measure overwhelmingly passed through the House subcommittee. 'If we're serious about actually educating our kids, they need to be in chairs with qualified professionals to help them understand what they're learning,' said Moore. It will now move forward where it could be considered in the full Appropriations and Budget Education committee. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
