Schools; program of character education; Teaching Honesty, Respect, Integrity, Virtue, and Excellence (THRIVE) Act; requiring the State Department of Education to develop a character traits and personal skills education curriculum; effective date; emergency.

HB 3241, the THRIVE Act, requires Oklahoma's State Department of Education to develop a mandatory character education curriculum for all public schools and charter schools (pre-K through 12th grade) by the 2026-2027 school year. The curriculum must teach 15 specific character traits and values, including honesty, respect for family, religious faith, lifelong marriage, sexual abstinence outside marriage, and patriotism, as defined in the bill. Schools must provide parents an opt-out option for their children and use only materials approved by the Department, with districts reporting compliance to the State Board of Education annually. The bill also mandates an "honor roll" for schools successfully implementing the program and requires the Department to publish approved resources and program impacts online.