Read the full stored bill text
An Act
ENROLLED SENATE
BILL NO. 1489 By: Pugh of the Senate
and
Caldwell (Chad) of the
House
An Act relating to schools; amending 70 O.S. 2021,
Section 6-189, as amended by Section 1, Chapter 92,
O.S.L. 2024 (70 O.S. Supp. 2025, Section 6-189),
which relates to certification requirements for
superintendent and principal; adding requirement for
principal certification to include certain
professional education; amending 70 O.S. 2021,
Section 13-101, which relates to services for
children with disabilities; directing the State
Department of Education and public school districts
to comply with certain act; authorizing the
Department to expend certain funds; modifying
definition; providing certain rights to parents and
legal guardians of children with disabilities;
directing the Department to publish certain
information on its website; allowing the State Board
of Education to promulgate rules and update certain
policies and procedures; updating statutory
references; updating statutory language; providing an
effective date; and declaring an emergency.
SUBJECT: Schools
BE IT ENACTED BY THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF OKLAHOMA:
SECTION 1. AMENDATORY 70 O.S. 2021, Section 6-189, as
amended by Section 1, Chapter 92, O.S.L. 2024 (70 O.S. Supp. 2025,
Section 6-189), is amended to read as follows:
ENR. S. B. NO. 1489 Page 2
Section 6-189. A. The certification system required by the
Oklahoma Teacher Preparation Act as part of the new teacher
preparation system shall be competency-based. The competencies for
certification shall be integrated with competencies specified in
Section 6-185 of this title. By July 1, 1996, the State Board of
Education shall adopt general competencies for certification, and by
January 1, 1997, the Board shall have adopted full competencies and
implemented the certification system as required in this act the
Oklahoma Teacher Preparation Act. No higher education courses or
credit hours may be specified by the State Board of Education in
rules for certification. Nothing in the certification rules adopted
by the Board shall prohibit the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher
Education from adopting policies and procedures it deems appropriate
for coursework, grade point average, or credit hours for teacher
preparation at institutions in The Oklahoma State System of Higher
Education.
B. The certification requirements for a school principal not
alternatively certified under subsection D of this section shall
include not less than:
1. Completion of a standard master’s degree;
2. Completion of a program in education administration approved
by the Oklahoma Commission for Teacher Preparation Educational
Quality and Accountability with an emphasis on curriculum,
instruction, and building-level leadership skills. The requirement
in this paragraph shall not apply to any person who has completed a
master’s degree program in education that included competencies that
are substantially equal to those listed in this paragraph and if the
degree was completed prior to July 1, 2005;
3. a. Any other professional education and requirements as
may be fixed by the State Board of Education.
b. The requirements of this paragraph shall include
professional education specific to the Individuals
with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) and applicable
state laws related to the provision of special
education services which shall include at a minimum:
ENR. S. B. NO. 1489 Page 3
(1) federal and state laws and regulations related to
the provision of special education services,
(2) procedural safeguards and parental rights,
(3) child find obligations and evaluation
requirements,
(4) development, implementation, and monitoring of
individualized education programs (IEPs),
(5) discipline of students with disabilities, and
(6) due process hearings, complaint procedures, and
compliance obligations of public school districts
and administrators.
c. The State Board of Education shall promulgate rules
providing for approval of professional education
providers and courses, documentation and reporting
requirements, and procedures for verifying completion
of the required professional education.
d. Professional education completed pursuant to this
paragraph may be used to satisfy professional
development or continuing education requirements for
certification renewal;
4. A passing score on the subject area competency examination
required in Section 6-187 of this title; and
5. A minimum of two (2) years of successful teaching experience
in public or private schools accredited by the State Board of
Education or by the proper accrediting authority of another state of
the United States.
C. The certification requirements for a superintendent of
schools not alternatively certified under subsection D of this
section shall include not less than:
ENR. S. B. NO. 1489 Page 4
1. Certification as a school principal or completion of the
certification requirements for a school principal as set forth in
subsection B of this section;
2. Completion of a program in education administration approved
by the Oklahoma Commission for Teacher Preparation Educational
Quality and Accountability with an emphasis on district-level
leadership skills, and which shall include the following
competencies:
a. instructional leadership,
b. organizational leadership, including education
finance, education law, and risk management,
c. collaborative and community leadership, and
d. ethical leadership.
The requirement in this paragraph shall not apply to any person
who has completed an Oklahoma a Commission for Teacher Preparation
Educational Quality and Accountability approved Master’s Degree in
Education Administration master’s degree in education administration
or has completed a program in education that included competencies
that are substantially equal to those listed in this paragraph, and
if the degree or program was completed between the effective date of
this act and July 1, 2005;
3. Any other professional education and requirements as may be
fixed by the State Board of Education;
4. A passing score on the subject area competency examination
required in Section 6-187 of this title; and
5. A minimum of two (2) years of administrative experience in
public or private schools accredited by the State Board of Education
or by the proper accrediting authority of another state of the
United States.
D. 1. The standards for alternative certification for
superintendents of schools and principals shall include:
ENR. S. B. NO. 1489 Page 5
a. the completion of a standard master’s degree,
b. two (2) years of relevant work experience in a
supervisory or administrative capacity,
c. a passing score on the subject area competency
examination required in Section 6-187 of this title,
and
d. filing with the director of teacher education at an
Oklahoma accredited institution of higher education a
plan for completing an alternative administrative
preparation program within three (3) years. Relevant
work experience and coursework may be considered and
applied to complete the plan.
2. An alternative certificate for superintendent of schools and
principals shall not exceed three (3) years and shall not be
renewable.
3. Upon successful completion of an alternative administrative
preparation program by a participant, the State Board of Education
shall issue a standard certificate for superintendent or principal,
as applicable, to the applicant.
4. Any person participating in an alternative certification
program for superintendent of schools and principals on the
effective date of this act July 1, 2005, shall be subject to the
program requirements in effect prior to the effective date of this
act July 1, 2005.
E. The certification requirements for a superintendent of a
technology center school district shall include not less than a
standard master’s degree, any other professional education
requirements as may be fixed by the State Board of Education, and a
minimum of four (4) years teaching, supervisory, or administrative
experience, which may include teaching of full-time adult students,
in a technology center school district. A person meeting the
requirements set forth in subsection C of this section shall be
eligible for a certificate for superintendent of a technology center
school district.
ENR. S. B. NO. 1489 Page 6
F. The State Board of Career and Technology Education shall
promulgate rules for a certification system specifically for
teachers and instructors in the technology center school districts.
The system shall be competency-based. The competencies for
certification shall include industry-based skills, standards, and
certifications.
G. Certificates issued by the State Board of Education may be
revoked by the State Board of Education for willful violation of any
rule of the Board or of any federal or state law or other proper
cause but only after sufficient hearing has been given before the
Board.
H. Teaching in a Head Start program or programs shall be used
for renewal of a standard teaching certificate.
SECTION 2. AMENDATORY 70 O.S. 2021, Section 13-101, is
amended to read as follows:
Section 13-101. A. The State Department of Education and the
public school districts in this state shall comply with provisions
of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), P.L. No.
108-446, and the Department shall be authorized to expend federal
funds to provide special education and related services necessary
for children with disabilities. “Children with disabilities” shall
mean children, as defined by IDEA, who are three (3) years of age
through twenty-one (21) years of age.
B. 1. The several school districts of Oklahoma in this state
are hereby authorized to provide special education and related
services necessary for children with disabilities as hereinafter
defined. Two or more school districts may establish cooperative
programs of special education for children with disabilities when
such arrangement is approved by the State Board of Education. Funds
may be expended for school services for an additional period during
the summer months for approved programs for qualified children with
disabilities, provided their individualized education program
(I.E.P.) (IEP) states the need for extended school year special
education and related services. Children with disabilities shall
mean children, as defined in the Individuals with Disabilities
Education Act (IDEA), P.L. No. 105-17, who are three (3) years of
age.
ENR. S. B. NO. 1489 Page 7
Provided, on 2. On and after July 1, 1991, children from age
birth through two (2) years (0-36 months) of until they reach the
age of three (3) who meet the eligibility criteria specified in
Section 13-123 of this title, shall be served pursuant to the
provisions of the Oklahoma Early Intervention Act. The attendance
of said such children in special education classes shall be included
in the average daily membership computations for State Aid purposes.
C. The State Board of Education is authorized to modify and
redefine by regulation the eligibility definitions whenever such
modification is required to receive federal assistance under the
Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), P.L. No. 105-17
provisions of IDEA. Rules developed pursuant to Section 18-109.5 of
this title shall provide for such modification and revised
definitions.
D. It shall be the duty of each school district to provide
special education and related services for all children with
disabilities as herein defined who reside in that school district in
accordance with the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act
(IDEA), P.L. No. 105-17 IDEA. This duty may be satisfied by:
1. The district directly providing special education for such
children;
2. The district joining in a cooperative program with another
district or districts to provide special education for such
children;
3. The district joining in a written agreement with a private
or public institution, licensed residential child care and treatment
facility, or day treatment facility within such district to provide
special education for children who are deaf or hard-of-hearing,
children who are blind or partially blind, or other eligible
children with disabilities; or
4. Transferring eligible children and youth with disabilities
to other school districts which accept them and provide special
education and related services for such children, with the district
in which the child resides paying tuition therefor as hereinafter
provided. For those students who transfer pursuant to the
ENR. S. B. NO. 1489 Page 8
provisions of the Education Open Transfer Act, the receiving school
district shall assume all responsibility for education and shall
count the student for federal and state funding purposes according
to the provisions of subsection B of Section 13-103 of this title.
E. The parent or legal guardian of a child with disabilities
shall have the right to:
1. Review all documents including, but not limited to,
evaluations, reports, progress monitoring data, work samples,
behavior logs, and discipline records, at least five (5) business
days prior to any meeting regarding an IEP, a meeting conducted
pursuant to Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, or any
other meeting regarding accommodations for a child with a
disability. The parent or legal guardian may agree in writing to a
review period of fewer than five (5) business days; and
2. Bring any individual of the parent or legal guardian’s
choosing including an individual with unique knowledge or expertise
regarding the child to any meeting with school personnel including,
but not limited to, meetings regarding an IEP, meetings conducted
pursuant to Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, and
meetings concerning the academics, behavior, discipline, attendance,
health, or any other matter involving the child with a disability.
F. The Department shall publish on its website information
about the dispute resolution options available to parents and legal
guardians of children with disabilities, which shall include:
1. IEP facilitation;
2. Mediation;
3. Due process; and
4. State complaint procedure.
G. The State Board of Education may promulgate rules and update
relevant special education policies and procedures to comply with
the provisions of this section.
SECTION 3. This act shall become effective July 1, 2026.
ENR. S. B. NO. 1489 Page 9
SECTION 4. It being immediately necessary for the preservation
of the public peace, health, or safety, an emergency is hereby
declared to exist, by reason whereof this act shall take effect and
be in full force from and after its passage and approval.
ENR. S. B. NO. 1489 Page 10
Passed the Senate the 10th day of March, 2026.
Presiding Officer of the Senate
Passed the House of Representatives the 6th day of May, 2026.
Presiding Officer of the House
of Representatives
OFFICE OF THE GOVERNOR
Received by the Office of the Governor this ____________________
day of ___________________, 20_______, at _______ o'clock _______ M.
By: _________________________________
Approved by the Governor of the State of Oklahoma this _________
day of ___________________, 20_______, at _______ o'clock _______ M.
_________________________________
Governor of the State of Oklahoma
OFFICE OF THE SECRETARY OF STATE
Received by the Office of the Secretary of State this __________
day of __________________, 20 _______, at _______ o'clock _______ M.
By: _________________________________