SB 1594 Oklahoma Senate · 2026 Regular Session

Teachers; adding requirement for school principal certification. Effective date. Emergency.

SB 1594 requires Oklahoma school principals to complete specific professional education on special education laws and practices, including federal/state regulations, individualized education programs (IEPs), and student discipline procedures. This applies to all principals seeking or renewing certification, except those who earned their master's degree in education administration before July 1, 2005. The bill amends existing certification rules (Section 6-189) to mandate this training as part of the principal certification requirements. It does not change other existing requirements like master's degrees or teaching experience.

Issues: ✓ Education

Bill status in committee 1 of 4 stages cleared

Introduction

Feb 2026

Committee Review

Floor Vote

Governor

Introduced Feb 2, 2026 Last action Mar 3, 2026

Maddy AI version diff · 1 comparison

What changed between versions

Introduced → Floor (Senate) · 3 edits

MINOR

The bill was amended during Senate floor consideration to add specific exemptions and clarify requirements for superintendent certification. The original version had general language about exemptions, while the floor version added detailed exceptions for those with specific master's degrees completed between the effective date and July 1, 2005. The floor version also changed superintendent experience requirements from 'teaching experience' to 'administrative experience' to better align with the role's responsibilities.

Scope change

The bill's scope remains focused on teacher and administrator certification requirements, but the amended version provides clearer exemptions for superintendents with prior education administration degrees.

REQUIREMENT

Changed superintendent certification requirements from requiring 'teaching experience' to requiring 'administrative experience' in public or private schools

Expanded superintendent certification exemptions to include those with substantially equal competencies in education programs, not just master's degrees

ELIGIBILITY

Added specific exemption for superintendents who completed an approved Master's Degree in Education Administration or substantially equivalent programs between the effective date and July 1, 2005

Floor votes

How they voted

No floor votes recorded yet.

Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions

Key actions

Committee

Feb 24, 2026

Upper · Passed

Reported Do Pass Education committee; CR filed

upper

Feb 2, 2026

Introduced

First Reading

upper

2 primary · 0 co-sponsors