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State Board approves multiple waivers, emergency certifications and referrals to hearings
Summary
The Oklahoma State Board of Education on June 25 approved several district waivers (calendar, alternative education, library services), granted emergency teacher certifications listed in meeting materials, and referred four certificate-suspension applications to an administrative law judge following executive session.
The Oklahoma State Board of Education on Thursday approved a series of district waiver requests, adopted emergency (provisional) teacher certifications, and moved several personnel licensing matters to administrative hearings after an executive session.
Board members voted unanimously to accept Forest Grove Public Schools’ request to use a day-to-hour calendar of fewer than 166 days for the 2026–2027 academic year under 70 O.S. § 1-109. The Board also approved one-year cooperative waivers under 70 O.S. § 1210.568 allowing districts with fewer than ten Alternative Education students — including Arkoma, Carnegie, Central, Davis, Hennessey, Perkins-Tryon and Quapaw — to operate their own alternative education programs for the 2026 academic year. Separately, the Board accepted K–8 alternative education waivers for Balko, Midway, Shady Grove and Ryal Public Schools; districts granted those waivers are not eligible to receive statewide alternative education funding for the year.
Board Member Brian Bobek moved the motions on several of the waiver items; motions were seconded by colleagues and carried with unanimous votes recorded (Mr. Deatherage, Mr. VanDenhende, Mr. Bobek, Ms. Carson, Mr. Tinney, Superintendent Fields).
The Board also approved multiple Library Media Services deregulation requests under 70 O.S. § 3-126 allowing reduced library hours or supervision by a library aid, with services to be provided through alternative means, for a list of districts including Arapaho-Butler, Dewey, Fairview, Kremlin-Hillsdale, Newkirk, Pawnee, Pittsburg, Shady Grove, Sequoyah, Sperry and Tyrone for the 2026 academic year only. Muldrow Public Schools received a separate waiver permitting a certified teacher to serve as the librarian while pursuing Library Media certification.
On teacher certification, the Board accepted all emergency (provisional) certification requests listed in the meeting materials under 70 O.S. § 6-187(G); the motion to accept those requests was made by Board Member Mike Tinney and seconded by Brian Bobek, and approvals were accompanied by board members’ stated expectations of improvement.
After convening in executive session under 25 O.S. § 307, the Board returned to open session and approved motions to accept applications to suspend the certificates and certificate numbers of Michelle Francis, Ashley Johnson and Mike Arnold, Sr., and to refer those matters to an administrative law judge. Board Member Brian Bobek moved the referral; Ryan Deatherage seconded the motion and it was approved unanimously.
The Board did not take action on a separate contracts-over-$150,000 review item and listed a hearing regarding Impact Athletics and its participation in the Summer Food Service Program (case 55-N008) on the agenda without action during this meeting.
The Board adjourned and announced its next regular meeting for July 23, 2026, at 9:30 a.m.
