Okla. Stat. tit. 70, § 70-5-102: Independent school districts

All independent school districts in Oklahoma shall be those

which shall have maintained during the previous year a school

offering high school subjects fully accredited by the State Board of

Education.

A reasonable deviation from any of the requirements enumerated

herein shall not operate to prohibit the State Board of Education

from designating any district as independent if the other

requirements are sufficiently superior to the minimum standards

required herein, but standards therefor shall be reduced to writing

and a copy thereof sent to all districts maintaining high schools in

Oklahoma at least one (1) year prior to the time the requirements

become effective. Until the effective date thereof, the requirements

hereinabove enumerated shall remain in full force and effect. As a

basis for attaining the status of independent school district, high

schools shall be inspected by a member of the division of secondary

education of the State Board of Education or such other

representative as the State Board of Education shall designate, and

all of the standards prescribed by the State Board of Education

shall be carefully checked in the presence of the district

superintendent of schools or board of education of the district. A

written report shall be made and mailed to the district

superintendent of schools and board of education within thirty (30)

days after the time of such inspection. Such report shall indicate

if the high school meets the requirements and, if not, a statement

shall be made as to what must be done in order to comply therewith.

After any school district has become independent, it shall

remain so until removed from independent status by the State Board

of Education, which, however, shall not remove any school district

from independent status until it is satisfied that the minimum

standards for independent school districts are not being maintained.

Any order of the State Board of Education removing a school district

from independent status shall not become effective until the close

of the fiscal year in which such order is made, and any order

removing a school district from independent status which has

heretofore been made by the State Board of Education, regardless of

notice or effective date thereof, is hereby validated. A reasonable

variation from year to year in the minimum number of teachers

required shall not affect the status of any independent school

district.