By Ramzy Fahmy, Oklahoma Voice
OKLAHOMA CITY — A Tulsa lawmaker is pushing for a new law that would require public schools to begin conducting routine hearing tests for children in kindergarten through third grade in an effort to boost literacy rates.
But the plan has faced pushback from some state and national groups, who argue that while the hearing screenings would be beneficial, it’s critical that the state’s required guidelines adhere to best practice and be funded adequately so as not to harm local schools and businesses.
State Rep. Meloyde Blancett, D-Tulsa, said she filed House Bill 2188 last session after talking with pediatric audiologists in her district. She believes that undiagnosed hearing loss is likely preventing some students from succeeding academically.
“If you can’t learn to read by the third grade, then you can’t read to learn,” Blancett said. “It becomes a significant barrier to success in school.”
She’s pressing for Oklahoma to join the 70% of states that already require some type of hearing screenings for school-aged children.
While over 98% of infants are screened for hearing issues at birth, the testing cannot flag certain types of pediatric hearing loss, including late-onset or progressive, according to the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association, which represents over 200,000 audiologists, speech-language pathologists and scientists.
Nationally, about 15% of children suffer from hearing loss when they enter school, according to the group. But failure to detect it impacts speech and language development and harms children’s academic, emotional and social outcomes, according to the organization.
Kim Richardson, a licensed hearing instrument specialist with more than 20 years of experience at Lucid Hearing in Edmond, said cost is a barrier that keeps many families from receiving early screenings and intervention.
Screenings cost from $250 to $350 if someone has to pay out of pocket, she said.
“Most insurance doesn’t cover hearing screenings, which is why people put them off,” Richardson said.
David Huff, Doctor of Hearing Care by Hugh, an Edmond-based business, said that hearing screenings are only effective if schools are properly trained in how to administer them.
“Screenings should happen, but schools must be equipped,” he said. “Without consistency across districts, the results become unreliable.”
How to properly conduct the screenings was a concern for five high-profile groups, including Hearts for Hearing, the Academy of Audiology, and the Oklahoma Speech-Language-Hearing Association. The groups opposed Blancett’s legislation during the 2025 legislative session.
While the three did not respond to requests for comment, Blancett provided a letter the groups sent lawmakers in February. They wrote that while they “unequivocally support the expansion of hearing screenings” using evidence-based screening models, they worried about the “significant, unintended negative consequences” of House Bill 2188.
Among those were a requirement to use a tablet-based program that the audiologists said is not consistent with “evidence-based methods recognized for childhood hearing screenings by nationally recognized clinic practice guidelines.”
The groups also expressed concern about the financial burden to Oklahoma’s education system and immediate workforce supply challenges that would be required to accommodate increased testing and referrals.
They also urged lawmakers to first study legislation passed in other states that already require such testing.
Blancett said it is unlikely that she’ll continue to pursue House Bill 2188 during the 2026 legislative session, which starts in February. But she said she’ll continue to press for student hearing screenings and will continue to work with stakeholders to develop best-practice legislation.
“There’s a critical need that’s not being met,” Blancett said. “My hope is that at some point, this gets across the line so we can give kids and teachers the resources they need.”
