HB 2153: Schools; school athletic association requirements; requirement that certain hearings be subject to certain act; effective date; emergency. - Oklahoma

Floor (House) → Floor (Senate) · 7 edits

MODERATE

The bill was converted from a House version focusing on charter school enrollment rules to a Senate version that completely changes the subject matter to school athletic associations. The new version requires athletic associations to operate under open records and open meeting laws, mandates specific financial audits, and repeals a previous law regarding student transfers after athletic competition.

Scope change

The bill's scope shifted entirely from regulating charter school student admissions to regulating the governance and financial oversight of school athletic associations.

SCOPE

The bill's purpose changed from managing charter school enrollment preferences to establishing transparency requirements for school athletic associations.

REQUIREMENT

New requirements mandate that all records, meetings, and hearings of athletic associations comply with the Oklahoma Open Records Act and Open Meeting Act.

New requirements mandate annual financial audits and performance audits of athletic association operations and funds.

ELIGIBILITY

All provisions regarding charter school enrollment preferences, sibling preferences, and transfer rules were removed.

The provision allowing virtual charter schools to participate in the Oklahoma Secondary School Activities Act was removed.

TIMELINE

The effective date was changed from July 1, 2024, to July 1, 2026.

REPEAL

A new section was added to repeal 70 O.S. 2021, Section 8-103.2, which previously governed student participation in competitions after transferring schools.

Senate Committee Substitute for House Bill → Floor (House) · 7 edits

MODERATE

The bill was revised to shift its focus from regulating school athletic associations to establishing enrollment rules for charter schools. The changes remove requirements for athletic association policies and replace them with specific guidelines on how charter schools must admit students, including preferences for local residents and siblings, as well as restrictions on limiting admissions based on protected characteristics.

Scope change

The bill's scope changed from regulating school sports associations and repealing a transfer participation rule to primarily governing student enrollment preferences and capacity management for charter schools.

REQUIREMENT

Deleted all provisions requiring school athletic associations to adopt written policies regarding open records, open meetings, financial audits, and performance audits.

Removed the repeal of 70 O.S. 2021, Section 8-103.2, which previously restricted student participation in competitions after transferring schools.

Established rules prohibiting charter schools from limiting admission based on ethnicity, national origin, gender, income, disability, language proficiency, achievement, aptitude, or athletic ability.

ELIGIBILITY

Replaced the repealed section with new Section 3-140, which mandates that charter schools enroll students residing in their district who apply timely or transfer under the Education Open Transfer Act.

Added an enrollment preference for siblings of current students, which can supersede other preferences if capacity is limited.

DEFINITION

Defined 'academic enterprise zones' as geographic areas where 60% or more of children qualify for free or reduced lunch, allowing schools to limit admissions to these areas.

TIMELINE

Changed the effective date of the act from July 1, 2026, to July 1, 2024, and added specific implementation dates for virtual charter school transfer procedures.

Engrossed → Senate Committee Substitute for House Bill · 4 edits

MODERATE

The bill was completely rewritten to change its subject matter from charter school enrollment rules to school athletic association policies. The new version adds requirements for athletic associations to comply with open records, open meeting, and audit laws, while repealing a previous rule about student transfers after joining an association. It also changes the effective date to July 1, 2026.

Scope change

The bill's scope shifted entirely from regulating charter school student enrollment and virtual school participation to regulating the administrative and financial compliance of school athletic associations.

SCOPE

Removed all provisions regarding charter school enrollment preferences, sibling preferences, and virtual charter school transfer rules.

REQUIREMENT

Added new requirements for school athletic associations to adopt written policies ensuring compliance with the Oklahoma Open Records Act, Open Meeting Act, and Public School Audit Law.

Repealed the previous provision (70 O.S. 2021, Section 8-103.2) that restricted student participation in competitions after transferring to a virtual charter school.

TIMELINE

Changed the effective date of the act from July 1, 2024 to July 1, 2026.

Amended And Engrossed → Engrossed · 6 edits · Apr 29, 2026

MODERATE

The bill was amended to shift its focus from school athletics to charter school enrollment policies. The Senate version included requirements for school athletic associations regarding open records and meetings, which were removed. The House version expanded the bill to clarify enrollment preferences for siblings, allow charter schools to set geographic limits for specific student populations, and establish rules for transferring students to virtual charter schools.

Scope change

The bill's scope changed from primarily regulating school athletic associations to focusing exclusively on charter school enrollment, transfers, and capacity management.

REQUIREMENT

Removed all provisions requiring school athletic associations to follow open records, open meeting, and audit laws.

Allowed brick-and-mortar charter schools to limit admissions to students living in specific geographic areas if at least 60% of children in that area qualify for free or reduced lunch.

Created a process for public school students to transfer to virtual charter schools, including pre-enrollment and record transfer requirements.

ELIGIBILITY

Clarified that charter schools must prioritize students living in the district where the school is located before considering other students.

Authorized charter schools to give enrollment preference to siblings of current students, which can override other preferences.

TIMELINE

Established a July 1, 2024 effective date for new rules regarding virtual charter school enrollment and transfers.

Enrolled (final version) → Amended And Engrossed · 5 edits · Apr 29, 2026

MODERATE

The bill was amended to change its primary focus from charter school enrollment rules to school athletic association policies. The new version adds requirements for athletic associations to hold open meetings and conduct regular financial audits, while also repealing a rule that restricted student participation in competitions after transferring schools. Additionally, the section regarding charter school enrollment preferences was moved to a new section and appears incomplete in the final version.

Scope change

The bill's scope shifted from charter school enrollment and transfer rules to school athletic association governance and student transfer competition eligibility.

SCOPE

The bill's title and subject matter changed from charter school enrollment preferences to school athletic association policies and student transfer competition rules.

REQUIREMENT

New requirements mandate that school athletic associations conduct annual financial and compliance audits, in addition to existing performance audits.

ADDED

New requirements mandate that all athletic association hearings, including those for rule violations and eligibility, must be open to the public under the Open Meeting Act.

ELIGIBILITY

The repeal of 70 O.S. 2021, Section 8-103.2 removes restrictions on students participating in competitions after transferring schools.

TECHNICAL

The charter school enrollment section was moved to a new Section 5 and appears truncated, cutting off mid-sentence regarding academic enterprise zones.

Introduced → Enrolled (final version) · 4 edits · Mar 12, 2025

MODERATE

The bill was completely rewritten from a charter school enrollment law into a public school athletic association transparency law. The original text regarding student transfers and sibling preferences was removed, while new requirements were added mandating that school athletic associations make their records, meetings, and hearings open to the public under state transparency laws.

Scope change

The bill's scope shifted entirely from regulating charter school student enrollment and transfers to regulating the internal governance and transparency of public school athletic associations.

SCOPE

All provisions regarding charter school enrollment preferences, sibling preferences, and student transfer procedures were removed.

A previous law regarding student participation in competitions after transferring schools was repealed.

REQUIREMENT

New requirements mandate that school athletic associations must make all records accessible under the Open Records Act, hold open meetings under the Open Meeting Act, and conduct annual and performance audits.

TIMELINE

The effective date was changed from July 1, 2024 to July 1, 2026.

Schools; school athletic association requirements; requirement that certain hearings be subject to certain act; effective date; emergency.

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