HB 2188 Oklahoma House · 2026 Regular Session

Schools; hearing screening; notification; State Board of Health; rules; statewide registry; hearing examination; written report; school districts; State Board of Education; annual report; effective date.

HB 2188 requires Oklahoma public schools to conduct hearing screenings for students in pre-kindergarten, kindergarten, first, second, third, fifth, seventh, and eleventh grades (or comparable age groups). School districts must use specific equipment meeting ANSI standards, including pure tone audiometers or tympanometers, and screen students who haven't provided recent certification from approved providers. Exemptions apply if a student has a hearing screening within the past six months by a provider listed on the State Department of Health's statewide registry, or if a parent provides certification of a recent audiologist exam for deaf or hard-of-hearing students. The bill also establishes a statewide registry for approved hearing screening providers and mandates annual reports to the State Board of Education.

Bill status died 1 of 4 stages cleared

Introduction

Feb 2025

Committee Review

Floor Vote

Governor

Introduced Feb 3, 2025 Last action Feb 5, 2025

Maddy AI version diff · 1 comparison

What changed between versions

Introduced → Proposed Policy Committee Substitute 1 · 5 edits

MODERATE

This bill was amended by the Policy Committee to update terminology, add new equipment requirements, and modify exemption criteria for mandatory student hearing screenings in Oklahoma. The changes clarify definitions, expand approved screening technology options, and adjust the timeline for when students must be screened.

Scope change

The scope of the bill remains focused on mandatory hearing screenings for students in specific grade levels, but the requirements for screening equipment and exemption criteria have been modified.

DEFINITION

Updated several legal definitions to improve clarity, such as changing 'Commissioner' to 'State Commissioner of Health' and 'Draining ear' to 'pustulant drainage'.

Changed 'Infant and Children's Health Advisory Council' definition to reflect current organizational structure and updated 'Noise induced hearing loss' to 'Noise-induced hearing loss'.

REQUIREMENT

Added a new equipment option allowing tablet computers with clinically validated auditory assessment software and high-resolution headphones with ambient noise attenuation.

Changed the requirement for screening equipment to meet ANSI/ASA 53.6-2018 specifications or manufacturer recommendations on an annual basis.

TIMELINE

Modified the exemption criteria timeline, changing the requirement from 'within the previous six months or during the school year' to a more specific 30-day certification window at the beginning of the school year.

Floor votes

How they voted

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Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions

Key actions

Committee

Feb 5, 2025

Committee

Referred to Public Health

lower

Feb 5, 2025

Committee

Referred to Health and Human Services Oversight

lower

Feb 3, 2025

Introduced

First Reading

lower

1 primary · 0 co-sponsors