The Senate gave unanimous approval to Senate Bill 632 Wednesday to create the “Education Compact for Kids in State Care”. Sen. Ron Sharp, R-Shawnee, said he authored the legislation to ensure that kids in transition back to their home schools after being placed within the Oklahoma Office of Juvenile Affairs (OJA) or the Oklahoma Department of Human Services (OKDHS) don’t fall through the cracks in Oklahoma’s public school system.
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Gov. Fallin signed legislation Monday to help further reduce the number of uninsured drivers in Oklahoma. Sen. Ron Sharp is the principal Senate author of Senate Bill 115 to transfer oversight of the Compulsory Insurance Online Verification System (OCIVS) for motor vehicle liability policies from the Department of Public Safety (DPS) to the Oklahoma Insurance Department (OID).
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Legislation was signed earlier this week to better help at-risk youth in Oklahoma public schools. Senate Bill 632, by Sen. Ron Sharp and Rep. Katie Henke, creates the “Education Compact for Kids in State Care” and ensures children placed in the care of the Oklahoma Office of Juvenile Affairs (OJA) or the Oklahoma Department of Human Services (OKDHS) do not have their education interrupted by their personal circumstances.
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Shawnee State Senator Ron Sharp held an interim study this week at the State Capitol to discuss potentially adding instruction about tribal sovereignty and tribal histories to the Oklahoma public school curriculum.

Thursday’s interim study concentrated on building a partnership between the state of Oklahoma and tribal governments to bring American Indian histories and cultures into classrooms across the state. Several state and educational leaders were in attendance and offered testimony in their area of expertise.
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In 2015, the legislature approved Senate Bill 782 amending the 1999 Oklahoma Charter School Act to allow charter schools into rural school districts instead of just those in Oklahoma City and Tulsa. Legislators were told that, under the legislation, local boards of education would be in control of whether charter schools could expand in their school districts but Sen. Ron Sharp says the bill actually took away local control and he has filed legislation to return control back to local school districts.
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In an effort to stop inappropriate relationships between school employees and students, Sen. Ron Sharp has filed legislation to require professional development training on the issue. Under Senate Bill 899, the training would begin with the 2018-2019 school year and would need to be completed at least once per semester.
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Gov. Mary Fallin called nine special elections last year following legislators leaving office mid-term. In an effort to protect taxpayer dollars, Sen. Ron Sharp has filed legislation to use the remaining campaign funds of departing members to pay for their districts’ special elections.
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Oklahoma is considered one of the premiere states for STEM education and Sen. Ron Sharp wants to expand it further. He has filed Senate Bill 880 to further advance STEM education by moving oversight of the STEM Region/Community application subcommittee from the Coalition for the Advancement of Science and Mathematics Education in Oklahoma (CASMEO) to the Department of Career and Technology Education.
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Sen. Ron Sharp carried the nomination last Thursday of long-time public safety officer Major Rusty Rhoades to serve as the Commissioner of Public Safety. The Senate Public Safety Committee approved the nomination unanimously.

“Major Rhoades has dedicated his life to serving the people of Oklahoma and improving public safety throughout the state,” said Sharp, R-Shawnee. “He will be a strong leader for the Department of Public Safety and we look forward to seeing his vision for how to strengthen and continue to improve public safety in our state.”
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On Thursday, the Senate gave unanimous approval to legislation modifying child abuse reporting requirements. House Bill 2259, by Rep. Dell Kerbs and Sen. Ron Sharp, requires individuals, especially educators, to report suspected child abuse or neglect of those 17 years or younger immediately to the DHS Child Abuse Hotline and those 18 years or older to law enforcement.
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