{"data":{"id":"us-ok/okla.-stat.-tit.-70-70-11-103","jurisdiction":"us-ok","citation":"Okla. Stat. tit. 70, § 70-11-103","heading":"Courses for instruction - What to include","body":"A. Courses of instruction approved by the State Board of\n\nEducation for use in school years prior to 1993-94 shall be those\n\ncourses that are necessary to ensure:\n\n1. The teaching of the necessary basic skills of learning and\n\ncommunication, including reading, English, writing, the use of\n\nnumbers and science; and\n\n2. The teaching of citizenship in the United States, in the\n\nState of Oklahoma, and in other countries, through the study of the\n\nUnited States Constitution, the amendments thereto, and the ideals,\n\nhistory, and government of the United States, other countries of the\n\nworld, and the State of Oklahoma and through the study of the\n\nprinciples of democracy as they apply in the lives of citizens. In\n\nstudy of the United States Constitution, a written copy of the\n\ndocument itself shall be utilized.\n\nThe public school districts of this state shall ensure that each\n\nchild enrolled therein is provided with adequate instruction in the\n\nbasic skills as set out in paragraphs 1 and 2 of this subsection.\n\nEach local board of education shall annually evaluate the district's\n\ncurriculum in order to determine whether each child in the district\n\nis receiving adequate basic skill instruction as set out in\n\nparagraphs 1 and 2 of this subsection. The evaluation process shall\n\nprovide for parental involvement. Effective July 1, 1990, each\n\ndistrict shall submit its annual evaluation of the district's\n\ncurriculum to the State Board of Education. The State Board shall\n\nmake this information available to the Oklahoma Curriculum Committee\n\nand, beginning with the 1996-97 school year, shall utilize such\n\ninformation in its periodic evaluation of curriculum.\n\nB. Courses approved by the State Board of Education for\n\ninstruction of pupils in the public schools of the state for use in\n\nschool years prior to 1993-94 may include courses that are approved\n\nby a local board of education and are necessary to ensure:\n\n1. The teaching of health through the study of proper diet, the\n\neffects of alcoholic beverages, narcotics and other substances on\n\nthe human system and through the study of such other subjects as\n\nwill promote healthful living and help to establish proper health\n\nhabits in the lives of school children;\n\n2. The teaching of safety through training in the driving and\n\noperation of motor vehicles and such other devices of transportation\n\nas may be desirable and other aspects of safety which will promote\n\nthe reduction of accidents and encourage habits of safe living among\n\nschool children;\n\n3. The teaching of physical education to all physically able\n\nstudents during the entire school year from first through sixth\n\ngrade, through physical education, a weekly minimum of seventy-five\n\n(75) minutes per student, exclusive of recess activity, supervised\n\nplay, intramurals, interschool athletics or other extracurricular\n\nactivities; provided, any student participating as a member of any\n\nschool athletic team shall be excused from physical education\n\nclasses; provided further, that certified physical education\n\ninstructors shall not be required to administer the programs\n\nrequired for grades one through six. An elective program of\n\ninstructional physical education designed to provide a minimum of\n\none hundred fifty (150) minutes per week per student shall be\n\nprovided for all students in the seventh grade through the twelfth\n\ngrade. The State Board of Education shall prescribe qualifications\n\nfor physical education instructors. Provided, however, that the\n\nState Department of Education shall be empowered to exempt all or a\n\nportion of this requirement if an undue hardship would result to the\n\nschool district. Provided, further, that any student who has\n\nexceptional talent in music may, with the approval of the\n\nsuperintendent of schools in independent districts or in elementary\n\ndistricts, substitute a course in music for the above-required\nempowered to exempt all or a\n\nportion of this requirement if an undue hardship would result to the\n\nschool district. Provided, further, that any student who has\n\nexceptional talent in music may, with the approval of the\n\nsuperintendent of schools in independent districts or in elementary\n\ndistricts, substitute a course in music for the above-required\n\nphysical education course;\n\n4. The teaching of the conservation of natural resources of the\n\nstate and the nation that are necessary and desirable to sustain\n\nlife and contribute to the comfort and welfare of the people now\n\nliving and those who will live here in the future, such as soil,\n\nwater, forests, minerals, oils, gas, all forms of wildlife, both\n\nplant and animal, and such other natural resources as may be\n\nconsidered desirable to study;\n\n5. The teaching of vocational education, by the study of the\n\nvarious aspects of agriculture, through courses and farm youth\n\norganizations, such as FFA and 4-H clubs, homemaking and home\n\neconomics, trades and industries, distributive education, mechanical\n\nand industrial arts and such other aspects of vocational education\n\nas will promote occupational competence among school children and\n\nadults as potential and actual citizens of the state and nation; and\n\n6. The teaching of such other aspects of human living and\n\ncitizenship as will achieve the legitimate objectives and purposes\n\nof public education.","path":["OK Code","Title 70"],"source_url":"https://www.oklegislature.gov/OK_Statutes/CompleteTitles/os70.pdf","current_through":"2026-08-14","vintage":"open-us-law v2026.08, retrieved 2026-09-14","retrieved_at":"2026-09-14T18:32:36Z","sha256":"098806beb048df9cda2e43c21c318210d7d06bac55a9fd37b2dd4e5906b11072","source_id":"us-ok","stale":false,"prev":"us-ok/okla.-stat.-tit.-70-70-11-102","next":"us-ok/okla.-stat.-tit.-70-70-11-103.1"},"notice":"GroundRules: Original legal text. Not legal advice."}