Okla. Stat. tit. 70, § 70-1210.568

Implementation contingency - Verification of expenditure levels.

A. 1. Beginning with the first semester of the 1996-1997

school year, the State Board of Education shall implement a

statewide system of alternative education programs which shall be

phased-in within seven (7) years. The statewide system shall

include but not be limited to Alternative Approaches grant programs,

funded pursuant to Section 1210.561 of this title, and alternative

academies or alternative programs implemented pursuant to this

section.

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2. Beginning with the first semester of the 2020-2021 school

year, the State Board of Education shall implement a statewide

system of alternative education. The statewide system shall include

alternative education programs implemented pursuant to this section.

B. All school districts of this state serving students in

grades seven through twelve shall provide alternative education

programs that conform to the requirements of statutes and rules

applicable to alternative education. A program shall:

1. Allow class sizes and student/teacher ratios which are

conducive to effective learning for at-risk students;

2. Incorporate appropriate structure, curriculum, and

interaction and reinforcement strategies designed to provide

effective instruction;

3. Include an intake and screening process to determine

eligibility of students;

4. Demonstrate that teaching faculty are appropriately

certified teachers;

5. Demonstrate that teaching faculty have been selected on the

basis of a record of successful work with at-risk students or

personal and educational factors that qualify them for work with at-

risk students;

6. Reflect appropriate collaborative efforts with state

agencies and local agencies serving youth;

7. Provide courses that meet the academic curricula standards

adopted by the State Board of Education and additional remedial

courses;

8. Offer individualized instruction;

9. State clear and measurable program goals and objectives;

10. Include counseling and social services components;

11. Require a plan leading to graduation be developed for each

student in the program which will allow the student to participate

in graduation exercises at the sending school or district after

meeting the requirements of the school district as specified in the

individual graduation plan for that student; provided, the

graduation plan required by this paragraph shall not be separate

from the plan required by Section 1210.508-4 of this title;

12. Offer life skills instruction;

13. Provide opportunities for hands-on arts education to

students, including artist residency programs coordinated with the

Oklahoma Arts Council;

14. Provide a proposed annual budget;

15. Be appropriately designed to serve middle school, junior

high school and high school students in grades seven through twelve

who are most at risk of not completing a high school education for a

reason other than that identified in Section 13-101 of this title;

and

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16. Allow students in the alternative education program, who

otherwise meet all of the participation requirements, to participate

in vocational programs and extracurricular activities at the sending

school or district, including but not limited to athletics, band,

and clubs.

C. The alternative education program of a school district shall

be operational and serving students by September 1 of each school

year.

D. 1. Each alternative education program of a school district

shall receive funding based on the average daily membership (ADM) of

students served by an alternative education program in the prior

school year according to the annual statistical report conducted by

the State Department of Education. The per-student funding amount

shall be based on the funding available for the program each fiscal

year.
h alternative education program of a school district

shall receive funding based on the average daily membership (ADM) of

students served by an alternative education program in the prior

school year according to the annual statistical report conducted by

the State Department of Education. The per-student funding amount

shall be based on the funding available for the program each fiscal

year.

2. Of the funding available for alternative education programs

each fiscal year, the State Department of Education shall designate

up to fifteen percent (15%) for districts participating in

cooperative agreements for alternative education services, which

shall be allocated on a pro rata basis as an incentive to each

participating district. The incentive amount received by each

district for participating in a cooperative agreement shall not

exceed Six Thousand Dollars ($6,000.00) per fiscal year and shall be

in addition to the per-student funding amount required by paragraph

1 of this subsection. Any funds remaining after allocations

required by this paragraph are made shall be distributed to

districts in accordance with paragraph 1 of this subsection.

3. Statewide alternative education funding shall not be used to

supplant existing school district resources or to support programs

that do not meet all the criteria for the statewide alternative

education system.

E. All statewide alternative education funds received and

expended for students participating in an alternative education

program shall be reported to the State Department of Education by

major object codes and by program classifications pursuant to the

Oklahoma Cost Accounting System as adopted by the State Board of

Education pursuant to Section 5-135 of this title.

F. Elementary school districts, as defined in Section 5-103 of

this title, may request a waiver by May 15 of each year from the

State Board of Education from the requirements of this section to

implement and provide an alternative education program. Any request

for a waiver shall be accompanied by an assurance that the school

district does not have students in need of alternative education

services. If a school district is granted a waiver, no statewide

alternative education funding shall be allocated to the district.

G. 1. The State Board of Education shall:

Oklahoma Statutes - Title 70. Schools Page 1272

a. provide initial and ongoing training of personnel who

will educate at-risk populations through alternative

education programs,

b. provide technical assistance to school districts to

enhance the probability of success of their

alternative education programs,

c. evaluate state-funded alternative education programs,

d. report the evaluation results of state-funded

alternative education programs, and

e. provide in-depth program analysis and evaluation of

state-funded alternative education programs.

2. The State Board of Education may create an evaluation

schedule for effective and highly effective programs, requiring them

to be evaluated not less than once every three (3) years.

3. The State Board of Education may contract with a technical

assistance provider in order to meet the requirements of this

subsection.

4. The State Board of Education shall have the authority to

suspend funds for an alternative education program that does not

meet the requirements of subsection B of this section. Provided,

any school district under consideration for suspension of funds may

request a hearing before the Board with a review of the evaluation

prior to the Board's final determination.

H. All alternative education programs shall be subject to

statutes and rules applicable to alternative education, including

any exemptions from statutory or regulatory requirements authorized

by statutes or rule.

I. An alternative education program may be offered by an

individual school district or may be offered jointly by school
of the evaluation

prior to the Board's final determination.

H. All alternative education programs shall be subject to

statutes and rules applicable to alternative education, including

any exemptions from statutory or regulatory requirements authorized

by statutes or rule.

I. An alternative education program may be offered by an

individual school district or may be offered jointly by school

districts that have formed interlocal cooperative agreements

pursuant to Section 5-117b of this title. Any school district

submitting a plan for an alternative education program serving fewer

than ten students shall enter into a cooperative agreement with

another school district to jointly provide the program unless the

program has been granted a waiver from this requirement by the State

Board of Education. A school district participating in a

cooperative agreement shall be required to send its alternative

education funding allocation to the cooperative.

J. Any materials or equipment purchased by a school district

with revenue received for students participating in an alternative

education program shall be used only in or directly for the

alternative education program offered by the district or any

subsequent alternative education program offered to students

enrolled in that district. Such materials and equipment shall be

made available exclusively to alternative education students during

the hours that the alternative education program is operating;

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provided, the material or equipment may be used for other purposes

when the alternative education program is not operating.