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ENGROSSED HOUSE
BILL NO. 2981 By: Banning and Deck of the
House
and
Hamilton of the Senate
An Act relating to open meetings; amending 70 O.S.
2021, Section 5-118, as amended by Section 1, Chapter
4, O.S.L. 2025 (70 O.S. Supp. 2025, Section 5-118),
which relates to regular meetings of school district
boards of education; requiring all school district
boards of education to post meeting minutes on their
website; establishing time limit for compliance;
determining accessibility requirements; establishing
results for noncompliance; clarifying applicability;
and providing an effective date.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF OKLAHOMA:
SECTION 1. AMENDATORY 70 O.S. 2021, Section 5-118, as
amended by Section 1, Chapter 4, O.S.L. 2025 (70 O.S. Supp. 2025,
Section 5-118), is amended to read as follows:
Section 5-118. A. Regular meetings of the board of education
of each school district shall be held upon the first Monday of each
month, or upon such day as may be fixed by the board. Special
meetings may be held from time to time as circumstances may demand.
B. All meetings of the boards of education shall be public
meetings, and in all such meetings the vote of each member must be
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publicly cast and recorded. Executive sessions will be permitted
only for the purpose of discussing the employment, hiring,
appointment, promotion, demotion, disciplining, or resignations of
any or all of the employees or volunteers of the school district,
and for the purpose of discussing negotiations concerning employees
and representatives of employee groups, and for the purpose of
hearing evidence and discussing the expulsion or suspension of a
student or students only when requested by the student involved or
his or her parent, attorney, or legal guardian; provided, however,
that any vote or action thereon must be taken in a public meeting
with the vote of each member publicly cast and recorded. It is
required that the board of education shall provide notice to the
student, his or her parent, attorney or legal guardian that said
student is entitled to an executive session regarding the discussion
of expulsion or suspension of said student.
C. Any action taken in violation of the provisions of this act
shall be invalid.
D. Each member of the board of education of a school district
with an average daily attendance exceeding fifteen thousand (15,000)
or a school district where boundaries encompass a total population
exceeding one hundred thousand (100,000) persons according to the
last preceding Federal Decennial Census may be paid from the
district's general fund a stipend of Twenty-five Dollars ($25.00)
for each regular, special or adjourned meeting of the board of
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education that he or she attends, but not for more than four
meetings in any calendar month.
E. 1. Each school district board of education shall post their
regular and special meeting minutes to the school district's website
within two (2) weeks of the board's approval of the minutes. Such
minutes shall be accessible within two clicks of the main page of
the school district's website.
2. Failure to comply with the requirements in paragraph 1 of
this subsection shall result in an administration and organization
deficiency during the district's accreditation review.
F. 1. Unless otherwise provided by law, a board of education
may submit an Affidavit of Board Action to the State Department of
Education in lieu of approved board minutes to provide proof of an
action approved or taken at a board meeting. Such affidavit shall
be signed and sworn by the applicable personnel as provided in
paragraph 2 of this subsection. The State Department of Education
shall accept a signed Affidavit of Board Action as certification
that the district board has approved or taken a specific action at a
board meeting. Nothing in this subsection shall exempt a board of
education from keeping minutes of a meeting in accordance with
Section 312 of Title 25 of the Oklahoma Statutes or posting minutes
in accordance with subsection E of this section.
2. The Affidavit of Board Action described in paragraph 1 of
this subsection shall include:
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a. the county or district code,
b. the name of the school district,
c. the date of the board meeting,
d. the agenda item number approved,
e. a summary of the action approved,
f. an affirming signature representing the district from
the district superintendent or the assistant
superintendent, and
g. an affirming signature representing the district board
from the board president or chair, or from a board
officer.
SECTION 2. This act shall become effective November 1, 2026.
Passed the House of Representatives the 9th day of March, 2026.
Presiding Officer of the House
of Representatives
Passed the Senate the ___ day of __________, 2026.
Presiding Officer of the Senate