1 STATE OF OKLAHOMA
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2 2nd Session of the 58th Legislature (2022)
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3 SENATE BILL 1442 By: Jett
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6 AS INTRODUCED
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7 An Act relating to schools; providing definition;
7 prohibiting certain schools from using certain
8 funding to promote, purchase, or utilize certain
8 concepts; prohibiting teachers and certain other
9 school employees from using certain curricula;
9 providing for reporting of violation to certain
10 district attorney; providing for certain notification
10 of certain committee chairs; providing for
11 notification of the State Department of Education;
11 providing for assessment of certain financial
12 penalty; amending 70 O.S. 2021, Section 11-103.2a,
12 which relates to the Oklahoma Play to Learn Act;
13 removing reference to certain types of instruction;
13 amending 70 O.S. 2021, Section 1722, which relates to
14 the purpose for the Oklahoma School for the Blind;
14 removing reference to certain type of instruction;
15 amending 70 O.S. 2021, Section 1734, which relates to
15 the purpose for the Oklahoma School for the Deaf;
16 removing reference to certain type of instruction;
16 updating statutory language; providing for
17 codification; providing an effective date; and
17 declaring an emergency.
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20 BE IT ENACTED BY THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF OKLAHOMA:
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21 SECTION 1. NEW LAW A new section of law to be codified
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22 in the Oklahoma Statutes as Section 11-103.2b of Title 70, unless
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23 there is created a duplication in numbering, reads as follows:
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 1 A. For the purposes of this section, "social emotional
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2 learning" means:
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3 1. Any evidence-based or non-evidence-based programming that
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4 promotes school and/or civic engagement and/or builds an equitable
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5 learning framework that creates or uses evidence-based benchmarks,
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6 standards, surveys, activities, learning indicators, programs,
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7 policies, processes, professional development, or assessments that
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8 address non-cognitive social factors including but not limited to
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9 self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, relationship
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10 skills, responsible decision making, and/or other attributes,
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11 dispositions, social skills, attitudes, behaviors, beliefs,
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12 feelings, emotions, mindsets, metacognitive learning skills,
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13 motivation, grit, self-regulation, tenacity, perseverance,
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14 resilience, and/or intrapersonal resources;
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15 2. Any evidence-based or non-evidence-based program, policy,
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16 process, or procedure that uses school climate surveys to collect
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17 data from students according to skills that include but are not
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18 limited to education, confidence, connections, motivation, stress,
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19 and/or wellbeing; and
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20 3. Any evidence-based or non-evidence-based program, policy, or
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21 procedure that compiles and/or uses data from school climate surveys
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22 to develop aligned learning opportunities.
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23 B. No public school district, public charter school, or public
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24 virtual charter school shall use federal, state, or private funds to
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 1 promote, purchase, or utilize the concepts of social emotional
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2 learning for training, instruction, or education of students.
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3 C. No public school district, public charter school, or public
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4 virtual charter school teacher, administrator, counselor, employee,
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5 or volunteer shall use any curricula with content related to social
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6 emotional learning in the training, instruction, or education of
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7 students. The provisions of this subsection shall apply to all
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8 learning resources.
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9 D. 1. A parent or legal guardian of a student enrolled in a
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10 public school district, public charter school, or public virtual
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11 charter school who has reason to believe a violation of the
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12 provisions of this section has occurred shall make a report in good
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13 faith with the district attorney for the county in which the
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14 district, charter school, or virtual charter school is located. The
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15 report shall include any written documentation of the potential
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16 violation including but not limited to a project or class
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17 assignment.
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18 2. A district attorney who receives a report pursuant to the
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19 provisions of this subsection and determines that a violation of
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20 this section has occurred shall notify the chairs of the education
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21 committees in the Senate and the House of Representatives.
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22 3. If the chairs of the education committees in the Senate and
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23 the House of Representatives determine that a violation of this
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24 section has occurred, they shall notify the State Department of
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 1 Education. The Department shall assess a financial penalty against
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2 the school district, public charter school, or public virtual
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3 charter school in an amount equal to five percent (5%) of the State
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4 Aid allocation for the district, charter school, or virtual charter
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5 school for the proceeding fiscal year.
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6 SECTION 2. AMENDATORY 70 O.S. 2021, Section 11-103.2a,
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7 is amended to read as follows:
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8 Section 11-103.2a. A. This act shall be known and may be cited
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9 as the "Oklahoma Play to Learn Act".
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10 B. It is the intention of the Oklahoma State Legislature
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11 through this act the Oklahoma Play to Learn Act to focus on the
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12 importance of child-centered, play-based learning as the most
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13 rigorous and most developmentally appropriate way for children in
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14 the early childhood grade levels to learn literacy, science,
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15 technology, engineering, art, and math academic concepts.
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16 C. As used in this section:
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17 1. "Child-directed" means interaction in which the child is
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18 helped to direct and lead the play in any way the child wishes,
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19 unless there is harmful or destructive activity;
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20 2. "Domain" means a specified sphere of activity or knowledge;
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21 3. "Early childhood education" means prekindergarten,
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22 kindergarten, first grade, second grade, and third grade;
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23 4. "Play" means the spontaneous activity of children;
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 1 5. "Play-based learning" means any learning activities that are
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2 performed by a child for self-amusement that have behavioral, social
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3 and psychomotor rewards. Play-based learning shall also mean
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4 activities that are child-directed, joyful, and spontaneous whereby
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5 the rewards come from within the individual child;
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6 6. "Professional development" means any of a wide variety of
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7 specialized training, formal education, or advanced professional
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8 learning intended to help administrators, teachers, and other
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9 educators improve their professional knowledge, competence, skill,
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10 and effectiveness;
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11 7. "Reading for pleasure" means reading that is freely chosen
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12 or that readers freely and enthusiastically continue after it is
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13 assigned; and
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14 8. "Socialization" means social interaction with others.
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15 D. Instruction in support of early childhood education
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16 standards may be engaging and may foster children's development and
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17 learning in all domains, including physical, social, emotional,
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18 cognitive, and language. To the best of their ability, educators
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19 may create a learning environment that facilitates child-directed
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20 experiences based upon developmentally appropriate early childhood
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21 practices and intentional, sustained, play-based learning
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22 opportunities, including, but not limited to, movement, creative
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23 expression, exploration, socialization, reading for pleasure, art,
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24 music, and dramatic play. The art instruction may adhere to
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 1 prekindergarten standards for fine arts, which include dance, drama,
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2 music, and visual arts, as approved by the State Department of
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3 Education. Educators may develop physical, social, emotional,
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4 cognitive, and academic learning opportunities in all curricular
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5 domains, which may include unstructured time for the discovery of
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6 each child's individual needs, abilities, and talents.
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7 E. In support of play-based learning in Oklahoma public
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8 schools, school districts may provide ongoing early childhood
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9 professional development for early childhood educators and
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10 administrators, which may include existing early childhood
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11 professional development programs from the State Department of
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12 Education.
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13 F. A school district shall not prohibit a teacher from
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14 utilizing play-based learning in early childhood education. The
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15 State Board of Education shall promulgate rules, subject to approval
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16 by the Legislature, establishing guidelines for professional
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17 development programs for early childhood educators and
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18 administrators.
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19 SECTION 3. AMENDATORY 70 O.S. 2021, Section 1722, is
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20 amended to read as follows:
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21 Section 1722. The purposes of the Oklahoma School for the Blind
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22 shall be to:
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 1 1. Provide academic, vocational, social/emotional, and cultural
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2 instruction as well as independent living skills and transitional
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3 needs for children who are blind or visually impaired; and
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4 2. Serve as a statewide resource center for educational
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5 services for children who are blind or visually impaired.
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6 SECTION 4. AMENDATORY 70 O.S. 2021, Section 1734, is
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7 amended to read as follows:
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8 Section 1734. The purposes of the Oklahoma School for the Deaf
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9 shall be:
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10 1. To provide academic, vocational, social/emotional, and
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11 cultural instruction as well as independent living skills and
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12 transitional needs for children who are deaf or hard-of-hearing; and
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13 2. To serve as a statewide resource center for educational
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14 services for children who are deaf or hard-of-hearing.
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15 SECTION 5. This act shall become effective July 1, 2022.
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16 SECTION 6. It being immediately necessary for the preservation
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17 of the public peace, health or safety, an emergency is hereby
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18 declared to exist, by reason whereof this act shall take effect and
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19 be in full force from and after its passage and approval.
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21 58-2-2562 EB 1/19/2022 4:35:49 PM
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