{"data":{"id":"us-ok/okla.-stat.-tit.-70-70-24-152","jurisdiction":"us-ok","citation":"Okla. Stat. tit. 70, § 70-24-152","heading":"Veterans Day and Celebrate Freedom Week in public","body":"schools - Instruction on Declaration of Independence and U.S.\n\nConstitution.\n\nA. In order to educate students about the sacrifices made for\n\nfreedom on behalf of this country and the values on which this\n\ncountry was founded, the date of November 11 is hereby designated\n\n\"Veterans Day\", and the week in which November 11 falls is hereby\n\ndesignated “Celebrate Freedom Week” in and for the public schools of\n\nthis state. In any year in which the date of November 11 is a\n\nSaturday or Sunday or classes are not in regular session, the public\n\nschools of this state shall observe the previous school day as\n\n\"Veterans Day\" as provided for in this section. For purposes of\n\nthis subsection, Sunday shall be considered the first day of the\n\nweek.\n\nB. The board of education of each public school district shall\n\nensure that each school in its district will on Veterans Day conduct\n\nand observe an appropriate program of at least one class period\n\nremembering and honoring American veterans. In addition, schools\n\nmay choose, if scheduling allows, to have a one-minute moment of\n\nsilence beginning at 11:00 a.m. on November 11 of each year. The\n\nbenefit of such activity, in addition to honoring American veterans,\n\nis to serve to educate students about the termination of World War I\n\nat 11:00 a.m. on November 11, 1918, which was first recognized by\n\nUnited States President Woodrow Wilson on the first anniversary of\n\nthe truce in a proclamation eulogizing fallen Allied soldiers and\n\nreferring to November 11 as Armistice Day.\n\nC. By December 31, 2007, the State Board of Education shall\n\nadopt rules which require each public school district in the state\n\nto include, as a part of a social studies class, during Celebrate\n\nFreedom Week or during another full school week as determined by the\n\nboard of education, grade-appropriate instruction concerning the\n\nintent, meaning, and importance of the Declaration of Independence\n\nand the United States Constitution, including the Bill of Rights, in\n\ntheir historical contexts. The religious references in the writings\n\nof the founding fathers shall not be censored. The rules shall\n\nrequire appropriate grade level study of the Declaration of\n\nIndependence to include the study of the relationship of the ideas\n\nexpressed in that document to subsequent American history, including\n\nthe relationship of its ideas to the rich diversity of our people as\n\na nation of immigrants, the American Revolution, the formulation of\n\nthe United States Constitution, and the abolitionist movement, which\n\nled to the Emancipation Proclamation, the women's suffrage movement,\n\nand the civil rights movement and the passage of civil rights\n\nlegislation.\n\nD. The rules adopted by the State Board of Education pursuant\n\nto subsection C of this section shall establish different levels of\n\ncontent and rigor of the subject matter required to be covered\n\nduring Celebrate Freedom Week that is appropriate for the different\n\ngrade levels and that meet state and national standards.\n\nE. The rules adopted by the State Board of Education pursuant\n\nto subsection C of this section shall also provide that during\n\nCelebrate Freedom Week or another week of instruction selected by\n\nthe board of education, students in grades three through twelve\n\nstudy and recite the text quoted below:\n\n\"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are\n\ncreated equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain\n\nunalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the\n\npursuit of Happiness.--That to secure these rights, Governments are\n\ninstituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of\n\nthe governed.\"\n\nF. Students may be excused from the recitation of the text set\n\nforth in subsection D of this section, if:\n\n1. The parent or guardian of the student submits to the school\n\ndistrict a written request that the student be excused;\nLiberty and the\n\npursuit of Happiness.--That to secure these rights, Governments are\n\ninstituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of\n\nthe governed.\"\n\nF. Students may be excused from the recitation of the text set\n\nforth in subsection D of this section, if:\n\n1. The parent or guardian of the student submits to the school\n\ndistrict a written request that the student be excused;\n\n2. As determined by the school district, the student has a\n\nconscientious objection to the recitation; or\n\n3. The student is the child of a representative of a foreign\n\ngovernment to whom the United States government extends diplomatic\n\nimmunity.","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":"d6e2a398c396e06417fc2c18716d833c1915b1a3157b64a804ecdaf6197f25f5","source_id":"us-ok","stale":false,"prev":"us-ok/okla.-stat.-tit.-70-70-24-151","next":"us-ok/okla.-stat.-tit.-70-70-24-153"},"notice":"GroundRules: Original legal text. Not legal advice."}