Accreditation Standards Division

Statement of the Standard

Oklahoma schools have the responsibility of meeting the educational needs of all students, providing equitable educational opportunities, and fostering lifelong learning as they prepare to participate in a democratic society. In order to establish priorities, aid in decision making, and provide an effective basis for a comprehensive and continuous evaluation, each school site shall develop and maintain a written statement of the philosophy and goals to be served by educational programs that are based on the belief that all students can learn. The school's philosophy and goals must reflect a consensus among the school site, the community, the local Board, and the school staff. The educational programs shall address the academic, personal/social, and career/vocational development of students as they prepare for the future.
Oklahoma Administrative Code (O.A.C.) 210:35-3-1

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• Education Law Book
• Oklahoma Work Permit Instructions

Documents

High School Diplomas Issued by the State Department of Education

Any Oklahoma Resident who has been admitted to any accredited Oklahoma college or university may be awarded a high school diploma by the State Department of Education within this state, provided that such person has successfully completed at least thirty (30) hours of college work at an accredited college or university.  Title 70 O.S. § 24-116

• Application for High School Diploma and FAQs

Interlocal Cooperatives

The boards of education of any two or more school districts may enter into an interlocal cooperative agreement for the purpose of jointly and comparatively performing any of the services, duties, functions, activities, obligations or responsibilities which are authorized or required by law to be performed by school districts of this state. Two or more school districts may enter into an interlocal cooperative agreement for the purpose of forming buying pools and purchasing cooperatives. As used in this section, "interlocal cooperative agreement" means an agreement which is entered into by the boards of education of two or more school districts from entering into cooperative agreements authorized under Section 5-117 of this title or interfere with existing cooperative agreements between school districts.

Title 70 O.S. § 5-117b
 

Local School Boards of Education

Public schools in Oklahoma are governed by a local board of education and are elected by the public. School Board Members are required by Oklahoma law to have education in specific areas.  

In Single Sign-On, with your Superintendent credentials, you can easily look at your school board member training points and eligibilty.  For assistance with this feature or any questions pertaining to your board member points, please contact Valerie Judy at 405-522-0225.

In order to be elected to a school board, candidates must meet qualifications established by Oklahoma statutes. In addition to meeting established qualifications, a board member must comply with the Oklahoma nepotism laws.

Elections

1. File for Office: First Monday through Wednesday, December

2. Elections: Second Tuesday, February

3. Runoff Elections: First Tuesday, April

Qualifications

To file for the position of locally elected school board member, an individual must meet the following requirements:

1. The individual must have been a registered voter with the county election board at an address located within the geographical boundaries of the district for six months preceding the first day of the filing period.  (26 O.S. 13A-106)
2. The individual must have resided within the local school district for at least six months preceding the first day of the filing period.  (26 O.S. 13A-106)
3. In school districts that are divided into election districts, a candidate must have resided in the district for at least six months preceding the first day of the filing period and have been a registered voter registered with the county election board at an address located within the geographical boundaries of the election district for six months preceding the first day of the filing period.  (26 O.S. 13A-106)
4. The individual cannot have been convicted of, or have plead guilty or no contest to, a felony under state or federal law or a misdemeanor involving embezzlement. Any person having a record of any of these crimes is ineligible to file for the school board position during the pending of any appeal or for a period of 15 years following completion of sentence.  (26 O.S. 5-105a)
5. The individual must have been awarded a high school diploma or certificate of high school equivalency in order to be a candidate for or elected to serve on a board of education.  (26 O.S. 13A-106)
6. An incumbent school board member must have completed continuing education prior to the date set for filing for reelection to the same board seat.

• Nine hours for board members serving 3-year terms;
• Twelve hours for board members serving 4-year terms; and
• Fifteen hours for board members serving 5-year or 7-year terms.

7. Failure by the board member to have satisfied the continuing education requirements shall result in the ineligibility of the member to run for reelection  (70 O.S. 5-110.1)
8. The individual must not be related within the second degree by blood or marriage to a current school district employee or current member of the board of education of the district for which the candidate is seeking office. (It is also illegal to hire a relative within the second degree.) See Nepotism Chart (70 O.S. 5-113)

Training

School Board Members (70 O.S. 5-110)

• Statutory Training Requirements Only for School Board Members Elected or Appointed on/after 1/1/2014
• Statutory Training Requirements for School Board Members Elected or Appointed Prior to January 1, 2014 
• Personal School Board Member Training Attendance Log Journal
  (Only for school board members elected or appointed on/after January 1, 2014.)
• Approved School Board Member Training Courses 
• School Board Member Training Workshop Application (Approval for a year with submission of agendas)
• School Board Member Training Attendance Template
• Oklahoma Statutes - Vacancies for School Board Member

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