School Laws of Oklahoma
Chapter 12 - Safety and Security
Article VIII: Certified Healthy Schools
Section 1063. Oklahoma Certified Healthy Schools Act. (63 O.S. § 2061)
A. This section shall be known and may be cited as the “Oklahoma Certified Healthy Schools Act”.
B. The State Department of Health shall establish and maintain a program for the voluntary certification of schools that promotes wellness, encourages the adoption of healthy behaviors, and establishes safe and supportive environments.
C. There is hereby created the Oklahoma Healthy Schools Advisory Committee. The advisory committee shall consist of the following members:
1. A representative from a statewide nonprofit and nonpartisan organization that seeks to foster collaboration and encourage prohealth initiatives in schools, to be appointed by the Speaker of the Oklahoma House of Representatives;
2. A representative from a statewide nonprofit and nonpartisan organization that seeks to foster collaboration and encourage prohealth initiatives in schools, to be appointed by the President Pro Tempore of the State Senate;
3. Two representatives from an organization that seeks to involve communities and consumers in creating a healthier future, to be appointed by the State Commissioner of Health;
4. A representative from a statewide business organization, to be appointed by the Governor;
5. A representative from a statewide association of parents, teachers, and students, to be appointed by the State Superintendent of Public Instruction;
6. A representative from a statewide association that provides training and information services to school board members, to be appointed by the Speaker of the Oklahoma House of Representatives;
7. A registered dietician, to be appointed by the President Pro Tempore of the State Senate; and
8. A school nutritionist, to be appointed by the Governor.
D. Members of the Committee shall serve at the pleasure of the appointing authority. Vacancies in a position shall be filled in the same manner as the original appointment.
E. The Committee shall hold an organizational meeting not later than November 30, 2010.
F. The Committee shall select from among its membership a chair and cochair.
G. A quorum of the members present at a meeting of the Committee shall be sufficient to conduct any business or to take any action authorized or required.
H. Travel reimbursement for members of the Committee who are legislators shall be made pursuant to Section 456 of Title 74 of the Oklahoma Statutes. Travel reimbursement for other members of the Committee shall be made by the respective appointing authorities pursuant to the State Travel Reimbursement Act.
I. The program shall recognize three levels of certification as follows:
1. Basic certification;
2. Merit certification; and
3. Excellence certification.
J. The Department, in collaboration with the Committee, shall develop criteria for certification, which, at a minimum, may include the following for each level of certification:
1. Basic certification: The school shall meet at least two criteria in each of the components of the Center for Disease Control and Prevention’s Coordinated School Health Program model;
2. Merit certification: The school shall meet at least three criteria in each of the components of the Center for Disease Control and Prevention’s Coordinated School Health Program model; and
3. Excellence certification: The school shall meet at least four criteria in each of the components of the Center for Disease Control and Prevention’s Coordinated School Health Program model.
K. Subject to available funding specifically appropriated for this purpose, the Department may provide a monetary reward to schools that earn certification as follows:
1. Basic certification: Two Thousand Five Hundred Dollars ($2,500.00);
2. Merit certification: Five Thousand Dollars ($5,000.00); and
3. Excellence certification: Ten Thousand Dollars ($10,000.00).
L. Schools that obtain a reward pursuant to subsection N of this section shall use the funds for the enhancement of wellness activities and the promotion of healthy environments. Such activities may include, but are not limited to:
1. Improving playgrounds;
2. Purchasing sports equipment; and
3. Equipping school kitchens for healthy cooking.
M. The Department shall develop an online application form for schools seeking to become an Oklahoma Certified Healthy School.
N. The State Board of Health may promulgate rules as necessary to implement the provisions of this section.
O. The Committee shall terminate by operation of law on October 31, 2015.
Section 1064 Evidence-Based Counseling Curriculum for Certain Family and Societal Issues. (70 O.S. § 1210.241)
A. The Legislature recognizes that many students are dealing with family and societal issues that make it difficult or impossible for them to be successful students. Among other school-based counseling programs, designated youth services agencies provide counseling for those students. To assure the quality and availability of the counseling services, the Legislature finds that it is desirable that school districts have access to individual and group counseling using an evidence-based counseling curriculum to prevent self-defeating, destructive or disruptive behavior. The curriculum may include training in problem solving, anger management, grief counseling, responsibility, communication and decision-making skills.
B. In order to assure the ability of school districts to give their students the best opportunity for academic and personal success, subject to the availability of funds, the Office of Juvenile Affairs, together with the Oklahoma Association of Youth Services, shall identify an evidence-based counseling curriculum. Subject to the availability of funds, the Office of Juvenile Affairs, through designated youth services agencies, shall make the identified evidence-based counseling available to students in school districts.
C. For purposes of this section, “evidence-based” means a program or practice that has had multiple-site randomized controlled trials across heterogeneous populations demonstrating that the program or practice is effective for the population.
Section 1065. Dyslexia Teacher Training Pilot Program. (70 O.S. § 7001)
A. It is the intent of the Legislature that the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education enter into contract with a nonprofit education center which is certified as a multisensory structured language training institute for the purpose of establishing a comprehensive dyslexia teacher training pilot program. Implementation of the pilot program shall be contingent upon the pilot program contractor securing grant funding for the purpose of implementing a higher education multisensory structured reading instruction training project. The Regents shall oversee the pilot program and, working with the pilot program contractor, shall select not more than two institutions within the Oklahoma State System of Higher Education to participate in the pilot program. The pilot program contractor using grant funding, shall implement and coordinate the pilot program, provide the salary of pilot program coordinators, and provide the training, resources and curriculum materials for the pilot program. If other funds are available, the Regents may provide additional support and resources to the pilot program.
B. The goal of the pilot program shall be to train higher education faculty to teach multisensory structured reading education for students with dyslexia to teacher candidates enrolled in the elementary, early elementary and special education programs, to demonstrate and evaluate the effectiveness of having trained teachers who can provide early reading assistance programs for children with risk factors for dyslexia and to evaluate whether the early assistance programs can reduce future special education costs. In addition the goal of the pilot program shall be to create a replicable model which can be followed by other higher education institutions.
C. The Regents and the pilot program contractor shall form an advisory committee to design and plan for the implementation of the pilot program.
D. The dyslexia teacher training pilot program shall provide to higher education faculty at participating institutions the training on how to teach to teacher candidates the indicators of dyslexia and the type of instruction that children with dyslexia need in order to learn, read, write and spell, including multisensory structures language programs. In addition the pilot program shall provide instruction to teacher candidates enrolled in the elementary, early childhood education or special education program at the institution which is designed to train the teacher candidates on the indicators of dyslexia and the type of instruction that children with dyslexia need in order to learn, read, write and spell, including multisensory structured language programs.
E. Contingent upon the availability of additional public or private funding, the Regents may work with the pilot program contractor to expand the pilot program to provide professional development to teachers of kindergarten through fourth grade which is designed to train teachers on the indicators of dyslexia and the types of instruction that children with dyslexia need in order to learn, read, write and spell, including multisensory structured language programs.
F. The State Regents shall promulgate rules and establish guidelines and procedures for the pilot program. The pilot program shall be established for a minimum term of three (3) years.
G. The pilot program contractor shall report annually to the State Regents about the operation and results of the pilot program. No later than June 30 of the third year in which the pilot program is operating, the State Regents shall submit a report to the Governor, the Speaker of the House of Representatives and President Pro Tempore of the Senate containing an evaluation of the results of the pilot program and legislative recommendations.
H. As used in this section, “dyslexia” means a specific learning disorder that is neurological in origin and that is characterized by unexpected difficulties with accurate or fluent word recognition and by poor spelling and decoding abilities not consistent with the intelligence, motivation and sensory capabilities of the person, which difficulties typically result from a deficit in the phonological component of language.
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