By Nuria Martinez-Keel, Oklahoma Voice
OKLAHOMA CITY — A House committee on public schools advanced bills on Wednesday to move annual state testing to May, to increase teacher training time and to ban sexually explicit materials from school libraries.
Reading, math, science and U.S. history tests, usually administered each year in March and April, would take place only from May 1-31 under House Bill 4359. Rep. Anthony Moore, R-Clinton, said he wrote the measure to give students more time to prepare for end-of-year tests.
The House Common Education Committee approved the bill unanimously, sending it to the House Education Oversight Committee for further consideration.
HB 4115 from Rep. Tammy West, R-Oklahoma City, also passed unanimously. West’s bill increases the maximum number of professional development hours that can be required of public school teachers from 150 to 200.
Raising the maximum would give schools more flexibility, especially if the Legislature adds professional development requirements in the future, West said.
“I think especially our newer teachers, they may need a little extra time,” she said during the committee meeting. “And I want to make sure that we have that opportunity for local districts (and) the principals to make the decision that if teachers need this, it’s available.”
The committee also approved a bill prohibiting schools from having books with “sexually explicit conduct” in their libraries. Current state law requires school library books to reflect the community standards for the population the library serves.
Rep. Chris Banning, R-Bixby, said he filed HB 2978 to remove books “that completely disgrace women that we can’t read out loud.”
The bill passed by a vote of 10-1.
Rep. Ellen Pogemiller, D-Oklahoma City, cast the lone vote against it. She voiced concerns for students in Advanced Placement courses whose access to required books might be cut off.
Committee leader Rep. Dick Lowe, R-Amber, saw his legislation HB 3032 pass in an 8-2 vote. The bill would require families to complete an application for free and reduced-price school meals during student enrollment. Parents would have the choice to complete an opt-out form.
The federal National School Lunch Program funds school meals for students from low-income households, as long as the child’s guardian has filled out an application.
Families enrolled in schools or districts that already provide free meals to all students regardless of household income would be exempt from completing an application under HB 3032, as would children who qualify for free meals through other means, such as being on Medicaid.
