OKLAHOMA CITY (KFOR) - A Republican lawmaker is making headway on a bill that would prohibit Oklahoma educators from having digital one-on-one conversations with students.
Representative Sherrie Conley, R-Newcastle, authored House Bill 3958.
The proposal states any school personnel engaging in electronic or digital communication with a student must include the student's parent in the conversation.
The only exception to a legal guardian not being involved is if there's an emergency, but they must receive notification immediately after.
Any school personnel who is reported to be in violation would be put on administrative leave while the school district investigates the incident and notifies the board of education.
If the investigation finds that no misconduct occurred, the school personnel shall be reinstated and a written warning of the incident shall be included in the school personnel's employee file.
If the investigation finds misconduct occurred, the school personnel's employment would be terminated, and the incident shall be reported to law enforcement and the Oklahoma Department of Human Services.
The bill worked its way through a House committee hearing Tuesday morning and passed unanimously.
Rep. Conley said it's parent-driven legislation.
"This is born out of conversations I had with some parents in Shawnee," said Rep. Conley.
She referenced former Shawnee High School basketball coach, Ron Arthur as a key component for writing the bill as well.
Arthur was found guilty by a jury in November 2023 for soliciting sexual relations with a minor over a hook up app.
"There's been other cases. I've done some research on it after, kind of studying the documents and the court records. I found there have been 12 cases across the state of Oklahoma that have been reported over the last year. It concerns me that some of our educators are taking advantage of that student relationship they have and they crossed over boundaries that shouldn't be crossed," explained Rep. Conley.
She clarified group chats, like for sports teams, would be allowed.
"It needs to be where there's accountability. This not only protects our kids, but it protects our educators as well. We want them protected," said Rep. Conley.
Rep. Conley did admit the bill needs some tweaking to allow for one-on-one conversations between educators and students about school assignments.
"I'm completely willing to do what needs to be done to make this a perfect bill so that it protects students and teachers alike and then doesn't make it difficult for schools to communicate with their students," stated Rep. Conley.
If this bill were to be signed into law, schools would provide training, developed by the State Department of Education, for school personnel on the student communication requirements.
It would go into effect in July.
Now that HB3958 has passed through committee, it'll go to the House floor for further debate.
