Education employees; providing for paid paternity leave and adoption leave for certain education employees. Effective date. Emergency.

SB 1202 expands paid leave options for Oklahoma education employees by adding paternity and adoption leave to existing maternity leave provisions. The bill directly affects teachers and full-time school staff, requiring school districts to provide up to 90 days of paid leave for new parents or adoptive parents during a child’s first year. Key mechanisms include updating retirement credit rules for leave-taking and establishing a leave-sharing program where colleagues can donate sick leave to support employees caring for newborns, newly adopted children, or facing serious health issues. The legislation modifies related statutes to replace "maternity" with inclusive terms like "parental" leave and updates fund names and purposes.