Senate Bill No. 707 amends the existing law regarding school accreditation in Oklahoma, shifting the focus from public schools to public school districts. The bill mandates the State Board of Education to adopt accreditation standards specifically for school districts, which must include provisions for addressing deficiencies and the potential closure of districts that fail to maintain accreditation. Evaluations of school districts will occur every four years, starting in the 2025-2026 school year, with annual evaluations required for districts that receive one or more deficiencies. The bill also updates statutory language and references, ensuring that the accreditation standards align with nationally recognized benchmarks.

Additionally, the bill removes certain provisions that allowed the State Board of Education to interrupt the evaluation schedule and modifies the reasons for which a school district may be evaluated annually. It establishes that if a school district loses its accreditation, the State Board must close the district and reassign students to accredited districts. The bill also includes provisions for the State Board to assist districts in meeting accreditation requirements through nontraditional means of instruction and outlines the conditions under which financial penalties may be assessed for noncompliance with class size limitations. The act is set to take effect on July 1, 2025, and declares an emergency for its immediate implementation.